CHP Headquarters Shows Lingering Signs of Raid After 'Nullity' Decision

The headquarters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has been cleaned following a police raid, but the physical and symbolic scars of the internal power struggle remain.

Newspaper Cumhuriyet reported that the party's general headquarters, which was turned into a "battlefield" during the raid, has been tidied up, with staff returning to work. However, the rear entrance door remains broken, and the lobby floor, stained during the altercation, has been cleaned. Notably, the display area for party leader photographs at the entrance is now empty, with neither Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's nor the newly elected leader Özgür Özel's picture present.

Graffiti criticizing Kılıçdaroğlu has appeared on the walls along the stairs, with messages such as "You may sit in that chair with permission, but you will never be president," "Kayyumdaroğlu" (a derogatory term implying an appointed trustee), and "You are in the wrong place." The names of imprisoned mayors were also written on the walls, accompanied by the question, "What do these names mean to you?"

In a symbolic move, the nameplates outside the offices of elected deputy chairpersons have been removed from some doors. This reflects the ongoing internal conflict within the CHP, which has been exacerbated by the recent leadership challenge and subsequent events at the party headquarters.