CHP Leader Özel Criticizes Erdoğan's 'New Political Order' in Le Monde Article

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has sharply criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government in a prominent article for the French newspaper Le Monde. Özel accused Erdoğan of actively dismantling democracy and constructing a new political system where opposition parties, while technically existing, face insurmountable barriers to power.

Özel stated that the 2024 local elections marked a turning point, as his former party, the CHP, became the leading party in Turkey for the first time since 2002, and Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) suffered a nationwide defeat. Instead of accepting this electoral outcome, Özel claimed the government resorted to judicial means. He highlighted that municipalities led by the CHP faced investigations, and over thirty mayors were detained or arrested. He also mentioned a controversial court decision that removed him from his position as CHP leader, preventing him from facing Erdoğan directly.

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The President is no longer just rolling back democracy. He is trying to build a new political order where opposition parties exist on paper, but their coming to power has been made virtually impossible.

"The President is no longer just rolling back democracy. He is trying to build a new political order where opposition parties exist on paper, but their coming to power has been made virtually impossible," Özel wrote. He asserted that the CHP offers a different future, believing Turkey's direction should be towards democracy and viewing Europe not as an exclusive club but as a political community united by common values. He stressed that Turkey can contribute to this community through its strong democracy and dynamic society, not just its military strength.

"Our expectation is much simpler: that they stop assuming democratic decline yields no strategic results," Özel stated, emphasizing that the Turkish nation will decide its democratic future. He urged allies to recognize that democratic regression does not benefit them strategically, countering the perception that Europe has historically viewed Turkey primarily through lenses of migration, security, and geopolitics. He argued that the direction of democracy in Turkey, a critical NATO member, directly impacts the alliance's future.

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Our expectation is much simpler: that they stop assuming democratic decline yields no strategic results.