site.btaOusted Turkish Opposition Leader Ozel Says He Will Not Leave Party Headquarters

Ozgur Ozel, who was removed by a court as leader of Turkiye's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party, after the party's 38th congress was annulled, told journalists and supporters that he had no intention of leaving the party's headquarters in Ankara. The Ankara Regional Court of Appeal removed Ozel from the chairmanship and reinstated former chair Kemal Kilicdaroglu on Thursday.

"We will protect what was entrusted to us. Just as we protected Sarachane (the place where the Istanbul Municipality is located - ed.), we will protect our party headquarters. They made us sit here as delegates who listen to the voice of the street," Ozel told thousands of supporters outside the party headquarters in the Turkish capital.

Ozel said that the lights of the party headquarters would remain on all night tonight and that he expected visits from leaders of political parties in Turkiye tomorrow.

"I am here, I am in this building and I am not going anywhere," he was categorical.

The ousted leader said that the decision has already been appealed.

"Today we filed our first appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn the measure. Tomorrow we will appeal to the Supreme Election Council to confirm the mandate it has given us. We expect it to appeal to the Supreme Court with our requests to suspend the measure as soon as possible and to fulfill its assigned duties and responsibilities," Ozel said.

He again called for early elections and said that the ruling party is only afraid of the street. At the same time, he recalled that the Republican People's Party has defeated the Justice and Development Party, whose chair is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, four times.