Özgür Özel, the leader of Turkey’s largest opposition party, the CHP, called for swift legislative action shortly before the reopening of parliament. In a television broadcast, he stated that the country was in a phase of political opportunity that should not be wasted.
“Now that parliament is back in session, certain legal regulations should be implemented quickly,” Özel said. As concrete examples, he cited reforms in the prison system, the situation of seriously ill prisoners, new legal regulations on the practice of trustee appointments, and changes to the law on the enforcement of sentences. “These issues directly affect Turkish society—they have nothing to do with the situation in Syria and should not be postponed any longer,” he said.
Criticism of the commission’s work
Özel also referred in his remarks to the “National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission,” which was established to develop proposals for a political solution to the Kurdish question and in which the CHP is participating despite criticism.
He criticized the commission’s reluctance to date: “So far, they have only been listening and not acting. This is not the commission of a party or an alliance – it is part of parliament, i.e., the people’s representative body. That is why we are represented there, even if we do not agree with all the other parties.”
“This opportunity should not be wasted”
Özel warned against delaying the current process or allowing it to come to nothing. “If this opportunity is wasted, we don’t know when a similar opportunity will arise again,” he said. At the same time, he defended the CHP’s course against criticism from conservative and nationalist quarters: “I cannot upset Turkish nationalists, nor can I be an enemy of the Kurds. I have countless Kurdish friends around the world who love this country as much as I do. Therefore, we must achieve a shared success that satisfies both Turkish nationalists and Kurds. We are continuing not as the ‘People’s Alliance,’ but as the Turkey Alliance.”
Sharp criticism of Erdoğan and US relations
With regard to foreign policy, Özel sharply criticized the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—in particular its relationship with the US. He described relations between Ankara and Washington as “miserable.” Diplomacy has been decoupled from institutional structures and reduced to personal contacts, he said.
“Boasting about having good relations with Donald Trump is not a political asset,” said Özel. He noted that Trump openly supports right-wing extremist and anti-Turkish parties in Europe, such as the AfD in Germany and the Rassemblement National in France. “The stronger these movements become, the more our fellow citizens in Europe fear discrimination, exclusion, and violence,” Özel said. “Anyone who has friends like that has to ask themselves what they really stand for,” he added.