Turkey’s government intensified its crackdown on the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) with a series of arrests targeting the party’s stronghold in Ankara. Early morning raids in the Çankaya district, governed by the CHP, led to the detention of 27 individuals named in a warrant issued by Ankara’s public prosecutor, according to media reports. The warrant accused those arrested of participating in a criminal organization, bribery, and manipulating public tenders.

Among those listed was Çankaya Mayor Hüseyin Can Güner. The crackdown takes place amid growing tensions within the CHP following a contentious court ruling that annulled the party’s 2023 leadership election. The court decision removed the elected chairman Özgür Özel and reinstated his defeated predecessor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Critics widely interpret the ruling as part of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s efforts to undermine opposition ahead of upcoming elections.

Following the raids, Özel, currently in Adana, called on CHP members and supporters to unite at Çankaya city hall in a show of solidarity. This wave of detentions is part of a broader series of investigations into allegations of corruption involving CHP officials. Notably, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been regarded as one of the few politicians capable of challenging Erdoğan’s dominance, is among those detained. Since the CHP’s decisive victories in the 2024 local elections—where it unseated Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in multiple municipalities—the government’s pressure on the party has escalated. As of late June, reports indicated that at least 26 CHP mayors remained imprisoned on various graft charges.

Özel's tenure as CHP leader began shortly before those elections, and he has emerged as a vocal opponent of Erdoğan. After İmamoğlu’s arrest, Özel was instrumental in organizing some of the largest street protests Turkey has seen in more than a decade, which boosted the party’s popularity in subsequent polls. The 51-year-old party leader is challenging the Ankara court’s decision to annul the leadership election and has indicated he would consider establishing a new political party if the legal appeals fail. In an interview, Özel described this as a “worst-case scenario” contingency, emphasizing his commitment to maintaining opposition unity against Erdoğan’s administration.