Tens of thousands of people in Ankara called for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resign. The rally comes on the eve of a court case that could see the head of the main opposition party, Ozgur Ozel, being ousted.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), has denounced Monday's hearing as part of a judicial coup by Turkey's government against the country's opposition.
After a year-long legal crackdown against hundreds of CHP members, live footage on Sunday showed people chanting for the resignation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while waving Turkish flags and party banners.
Hundreds of members of the CHP have been jailed over accusations of corruption and terrorism. Among those jailed is Erdogan's main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
Imamoglu's arrest in March sparked Turkey's biggest unrest in a decade where hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest.
In a speech at Sunday's rally, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said the people had gathered to "stand against the (judicial) coup" being waged against the party, referring to Monday's court hearing that could see him ousted as leader.
"This government does not want democracy. They know they cannot win the elections if there is democracy. They don't want justice: they know if there's justice they won't be able to cover up their crimes," Ozel told the crowd.
He dismissed the case as "political, the allegations are slander."
"This is a coup (and) we will resist," Ozel said.
Monday's hearing seeks to overturn the results of a CHP congress in November 2023 over alleged vote-rigging. The congress elected Ozel as leader.
Critics say the case is a politically-motivated attempt to undermine Turkey's oldest political party, which won a huge victory over President Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2024 local elections and has been rising in polls.
Addressing the Turkish leader, Ozel said: "Erdogan, did you ever see Tandogan Square like this?" as the protesters chanted: "Erdogan resign!"
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