Tens of thousands take the street against Erdoğan

Protests in Ankara

Erdoğan’s resignation calls for tens of thousands

The Turkish government takes action against the country’s largest opposition party. Now tens of thousands of demonstrators in Ankara are solidarity with the CHP.

In the Turkish capital Ankara, tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the impending dismissal of the boss in the largest opposition party. On Sunday, they demanded the resignation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as could be seen on live recordings. Many swiveled Turkish flags and transparent of the Republican People’s Party (CHP).

On Monday, a court decides whether Özgür Özel should be stopped as CHP boss. The CHP accuses the indictment of procedural errors in the election of Özels two years ago. If the court canceled the election of Özel, it could appoint a trustee to head the CHP.

At the government’s rally, Özel accused of disregarding democratic rules in order to stay in power after the opposition’s victories in the local elections last year. He also called for early parliamentary elections. “This is political. The allegations are defamed,” said Özel. “What happens here is a coup. We will resist.”

Hundreds of members of the CHP have already been used for alleged corruption and connections to terrorism. Among them is also the most important political rival of President Erdoğan, the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu. Its arrest in March had triggered the largest protests in the country for a decade.

In a letter from prison that was read at the rally, İmamoğlu wrote the government trying to anticipate the outcome of the next election by legitimate competitors. “The era of the ‘I’ in this country will end and the era of the ‘We’ will begin,” it said in the letter. The amount applauded and called “President İmamoğlu”.