Tens of thousands of people protested in the capital Ankara on Sunday against a court case that could oust the head of the main opposition on Monday after a year-long legal crackdown on hundreds of its members.
Live footage showed crowds chanting for President Tayyip Erdogan’s resignation while waving Turkish flags and party banners.
The court decision on Monday whether to invalidate the 2023 congress of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) over alleged procedural irregularities could reshape the party, rattle financial markets and influence the timing of a general election set for 2028. The court could also delay the ruling.
Speaking at Sunday’s rally, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said the government was trying to cling to power by undermining democratic norms and suppressing dissent following opposition victories in local elections over the past year.
Ozel also called for a snap general election.
TURKISH OPPOSITION VOWS TO RESIST
“This case is political. The accusations are slander. Our comrades are innocent. What’s being done is a coup — a coup against the future president, against the future government. We will resist, we will resist, we will resist,” Ozel said in his address to the crowd.
Hellbound and Down 