Turkish police use tear gas to disperse CHP protest in Istanbul
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Riot police clashed with CHP supporters in Istanbul as tensions rose over a court ruling and a trustee’s takeover of the party’s local branch.
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A supporter of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) scuffles with police officers outside the party's headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, September 8, 2025 (AP)
Turkish riot police used tear gas on Monday to disperse demonstrators gathered outside the main headquarters of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in Istanbul.
The tense confrontation unfolded after security forces intervened against a crowd that included party officials and citizens attempting to block a court-appointed trustee from taking control of the CHP’s Istanbul branch.
Police had cordoned off the building on Sunday evening following the party’s call for protests, openly defying a three-day demonstration ban announced by Istanbul’s governorate across six districts.
CHP officials, including Gürsel Tekin, warned they would resist any attempt to seize the local headquarters. Tekin, a former CHP lawmaker recently appointed by the court as head of the Istanbul branch, arrived at the scene with dozens of police officers and attempted to enter the building.
The opposition faced a major setback last week when an Istanbul court annulled the CHP’s 2023 regional congress, dismissing its leadership over alleged “irregularities.” Tekin was subsequently named as the new head of the Istanbul branch.
The ruling and the police intervention sparked public anger, with opposition leaders calling for protests to defend party autonomy. The move also rattled financial markets, wiping an estimated $9.2 billion from the stock exchange in the previous session.
CHP want early elections
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Turkey's largest opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), called in July for an early presidential election to be held in November. The demand follows the detention of three opposition mayors in a sweeping corruption investigation.
"If the AK Party is truly the leading party, let's hold an early election on Sunday, November 2. If you were indeed the leading party, you wouldn't hesitate to face an election," Ozel stated during an emergency executive committee meeting.
Police had detained the mayors of Adana, Antalya, and Adiyaman, all governed by CHP members. The arrests are part of an expanding probe into alleged corruption within municipalities led by the opposition.
Since October last year, the crackdown has targeted hundreds of CHP members, including at least 11 other mayors. The opposition party broadly denies the accusations and has condemned the ongoing probe as politically motivated, claims that the government has firmly rejected.
In March, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, considered the main political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was jailed pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies.
His detention triggered the largest street protests in Turkey in a decade and led to a sharp decline in Turkish financial markets.
While the opposition has denounced these investigations as politically motivated, the government maintains that the probes are legitimate and necessary.
