Photos, video: Opposition leader holds rally attended by thousands in Turkey's capital
The ousted leader of the Turkish opposition organized and held a rally attended by thousands in the capital, Ankara, where his supporters expressed their political support.
This was reported by the newspaper Haberhurriyeti.
After addressing his supporters, estimated by the media to number in the tens of thousands, Özal led a march through the capital to the mausoleum of Turkey’s first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
A crowd of several thousand people marched through the streets, waving Turkish flags and chanting slogans of the Republican People’s Party (CHP). Police stepped up security measures along the march route.
CHP leader Özgür Özel at
Anıtkabir: Thousands protesting the decision to cancel the event at Güvenpark could not fit
into Anıtkabir. Here are the latest images in the presence of Atatürk pic.twitter.com/pAuM7ziyhC— Halk TV (@halktvcomtr) May 30, 2026
The rally was held in support of Özel after a Turkish court on May 21 annulled the results of the 2023 CHP congress, thereby invalidating his election as leader of the key opposition party. Instead, the court reinstated former party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
As a reminder, people were detained in Turkey in connection with the case involving the main opposition party.
