ISTANBUL (AP) — Authorities in Istanbul have imposed a temporary ban on public gatherings across several central districts and blockaded the main opposition party’s provincial headquarters, as party supporters prepared to rally on Monday against the controversial appointment of a trustee chairman to oversee its local branch.
Last week, an Istanbul court suspended the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) provincial leadership, citing alleged irregularities in the party’s 2023 congress. The court also appointed Gursel Tekin, a former CHP lawmaker aligned with the party’s old guard, as interim chair. Critics have condemned the move as a politically motivated intervention aimed at weakening the party.
In response, CHP leadership called on supporters to gather at the party’s Istanbul headquarters ahead of Tekin’s scheduled arrival on Monday. The call prompted the governor’s office to announce a three-day ban on public gatherings late Sunday, as police surrounded the building, erected barricades and restricted access.
Despite the restrictions, supporters began rallying outside the headquarters starting on Sunday night, defying the ban.
Meanwhile, the internet watchdog NetBlocks said several social media platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp were restricted in Turkey following the CHP’s call for rallies.
The tensions come amid an intensifying crackdown on CHP-controlled municipalities over alleged corruption, which has led to a series of arrests — including that of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in March.
The detention of Imamoglu, who is widely regarded as the leading opposition challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decade rule, sparked the largest protests Turkey has seen in over a decade, with demonstrators accusing the government of democratic backsliding.
The CHP has rejected the corruption allegations, saying they are politically motivated and part of a broader effort to undermine the party’s growing influence. Erdogan’s government maintains that the judiciary operates independently and denies any political interference.
Later this month, a separate court in Ankara is expected to rule on a similar case targeting the CHP’s 2023 main congress, which elected Ozgur Ozel as party leader. A ruling against the party could potentially reinstate its former leader, Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, a figure whose tenure drew widespread criticism.
