Turkish opposition leader defies court order as thousands rally outside parliament
Turkish opposition leader defies court ruling as thousands rally outside parliament
Thousands of supporters of Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), gathered outside parliament in Ankara on Sunday evening after police stormed its headquarters to remove leader Özgür Özel. The raid followed a court order declaring Özel’s 2023 election as party chair invalid, despite the CHP’s victory in the 2024 municipal elections. Özel, who refuses to step down, marched seven kilometers to parliament to address the crowd, framing the crisis as a test of Turkey’s democratic institutions .
The government’s move escalates tensions between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration and the opposition, which has accused authorities of targeting dissent. Earlier Sunday, Erdoğan reversed a decision to close Istanbul Bilgi University after nearly 1,000 students and faculty protested, though the reversal does little to ease broader concerns over academic and political freedoms . Meanwhile, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that opposition figures now openly question whether Turkey remains a republic, citing the erosion of checks on executive power .
In Senegal, the political crisis deepened as parliament speaker El Malick Ndiaye resigned Sunday, paving the way for sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko to seek the post. Sonko, dismissed by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Friday amid an IMF debt dispute, leads the ruling Pastef party, which holds a parliamentary majority. The move follows Faye’s dissolution of the government, a decision analysts link to tensions over economic reforms and debt transparency .
Elsewhere, protests in Prague drew thousands over the weekend, with demonstrators accusing Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government of undermining public media independence by slashing funding for Czech Television and Radio. The rallies reflect growing unease over political interference in state institutions, though the government has dismissed the protests as opposition-driven . In Slovenia, Prime Minister Janez Janša’s fragile minority government faces scrutiny as its reliance on an unreliable coalition partner raises doubts about its stability, though no immediate parliamentary challenge has emerged .

![Scoop: Democrats eyeing 2028 bids court Warren Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of most influential leaders in the progressive movement, is being publicly and privately courted by Democrats eyeing presidential bids in 2028 — a sign theyre trying to build up their lefty credentials.Why it matters: Progressives are on the rise in the party, and Warren is a key ally to have. She lost her bid for the White House in 2020 but played a major role in shaping Joe Bidens presidency by installing her allies in his administration. Her moves havent been without controversy. Some centrist Democrats worry that Warren has helped pushed the party too far to the left.Zoom in: Now, Warrens working to put her stamp on the 2028 Democratic primary. She met privately with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear for tea this month and has a texting relationship with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Axios has learned. Both potential contenders for president are more moderate than Warren, a frequent target of President Trump and conservatives because of her push for consumer protections and corporate regulation.Warren also has been talking with former Biden and Obama officials about how a future Democratic president could reshape the federal government in light of Trumps DOGE cuts, a person familiar with the discussions told us.Newsom took a major step to woo Warren World when he tapped one of the senators protégés, Rohit Chopra, to lead a new consumer agency in California this month. A few months earlier, Warren had been spotted at a restaurant with Newsom in San Francisco.Warrens relationship with Newsoms circle goes back years: His wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, endorsed Warren for president in 2020.Warren likewise has teamed up with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow progressive and potential 2028 contender, on policy.In February, AOC became the House co-lead on a bill by Warren aimed at implementing universal child care.What theyre saying: In an interview with Axios, Warren praised Beshears efforts to expand pre-K access in his state. She said that during their meeting, they discussed the prospect of universal pre-K at the federal level."He talked about the difference it would make for families in Kentucky," she said. "I leaned back and thought: This is someone who gets it. Hes not checking the box."Warren also had warm words for AOC — saying that she "does the hard work and digs deep on policy" — and praised Newsoms work to expand free pre-K in California.The other side: Liam Kerr, co-founder of the center-left WelcomePAC, expressed dismay that potential presidential candidates are meeting with Warren."Elizabeth Warren literally hired 1,000 people for her presidential campaign, got 7 in South Carolina, and then seemingly hired 1,000 people into the Biden administration," he said."Not sure which of those three [things] candidates want advice on, but hopefully not the last one," Kerr added.Zoom out: Besides meeting with potential 2028ers, Warren has been making a push to shape the next presidential primary — and has suggested theres one potential 2028er shes less pleased with.At a summit held by the liberal group Center for American Progress in D.C. last week, Warren argued that 2028 Democratic hopefuls should make child care a priority.In another speech this year, she criticized former Vice President Harris lukewarm approach to ex-Federal Trade Commission chair and Warren ally Lina Khan in the 2024 campaign.At the time, some Democratic donors were urging Harris to fire Khan, saying Khans aggressive push against monopolies was too anti-business."To her credit, the vice president didnt promise to fire Lina Khan," Warren said at the time. "But she didnt promise not to fire her, either."](https://images.axios.com/lJmFBSolxeJWpvDhEN3RZNI3FUg=/0x0:6324x3557/1366x768/2026/05/23/1779546945480.jpg)