Amid growing economic and political tensions in Turkey, the CHP (Republican People’s Party) and the DEM Party (Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party) held a meeting to exchange views. The talks between CHP leader Özgür Özel and DEM Party co-chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan focused on key issues regarding the current situation in the country as well as possible political perspectives. Following the meeting at the DEM headquarters in Ankara, both sides emphasized that Turkey is facing a multidimensional crisis marked by economic pressure, regional war dynamics, and a deepening democracy problem.
Crisis, war, and social reality
Özel pointed to the economic consequences of the US–Israel and Iran war ongoing since late February and warned of a further deterioration in social conditions. Remarking that rising prices and new burdens are already foreseeable, he said that the war is acting as an accelerator of a crisis that had already begun domestically.
Hatimoğulları shared this assessment but went further, describing the economic situation as existential. She stated that millions are living below the poverty line, and pensioners as well as minimum wage earners are struggling to meet basic needs. The war in the region is further exacerbating these conditions, she added.
Hatimoğulları also highlighted the broader dynamics of conflicts in the Middle East, noting that developments in Iran, Israel, and Lebanon are part of an expanding regional war framework. In this context, she called for Turkey to take a more active role in ending these conflicts.
Democracy crisis and pressure on the opposition
Another central issue in the meeting was the increasing pressure on the opposition. Özel spoke of targeted judicial interventions in politics and referred to ongoing cases and measures against the CHP. Hatimoğulları framed this development more broadly, arguing that the judiciary is being used as a political instrument to weaken opposition forces and divide society. Ongoing proceedings against elected representatives, she said, reflect a deeper democracy crisis.
The DEM Party co-chair called for the release of imprisoned politicians, including the removed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and TIP MP Can Atalay. She described Atalay’s continued imprisonment despite high court rulings as a “violation of the constitution” and a disregard for the will of the voters. She also demanded an end to the practice of appointing trustees to Kurdish municipalities and the reinstatement of elected mayors, stating that such interventions are part of a broader strategy to control political processes.
Stalled process and demand for a political framework
Giving particular attention to the “process for peace and democratic society,” initiated by Abdullah Öcalan’s call in February last year to find a political solution to the Kurdish question, Hatimoğulları criticized the lack of substantive progress in this process. Although a parliamentary committee has been established, concrete political and legal steps have not followed, she said, remarking that the process is being “slowed down, if not blocked.”
At the center of the DEM Party’s demands is a comprehensive framework law to serve as the basis for further steps. This law, she stressed, must be as inclusive as possible and should not selectively include or exclude specific groups. A narrow or fragmented approach, she warned, would hinder progress. She also emphasized that this is not a bilateral process between the AKP and the DEM Party, but one that must involve society as a whole: “This is not a process between two parties, but a process for the democratization of 86 million people.”
CHP leader Özgür Özel announced that key issues, including legal reforms and parliamentary procedures, would also be discussed with Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş. He also raised the possibility of by-elections and made clear that his party is ready to increase political pressure.
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