18.10.2025 17:10
Speaking at the European Socialist Party Congress held in the Netherlands, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel stated, "The upcoming elections in Turkey will be a referendum. Will it be autocracy or democracy? Will Turkey be a part of the coalition of autocrats? Or will it be Turkey as part of Europe?"
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Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel attended the European Socialist Party (PES) Congress held in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
"DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY IS UNDER ATTACK" In his speech here, Özel stated that Turkey is at the center or next to many critical issues in the international arena, saying, "On the other hand, as Giacomo mentioned earlier, we must fight hard to defend democratic values in Turkey. Because democracy, human rights, and the right to vote and be elected in Turkey are under attack. I would like to thank you separately for giving us this opportunity to speak, for listening to us, and for showing solidarity by applauding Ekrem President's message for minutes while standing yesterday. Democracy in Turkey is under attack, and the issue is not just the attacks against our party and the arrest of our presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu. Journalists, intellectuals, unionists, and business people who disturb the government are being detained, arrested, and held for months until their indictment is issued, even though they would normally not spend a single day in prison if convicted of that crime. They are subjected to a kind of pre-execution. Just last week, all artists opposing the government were rounded up by the police at 6:00 AM, forced to undergo urine tests, blood tests, and hair tests, and they said, 'They use drugs.' Some of them will likely test positive, but they have conducted a major character assassination against all the others. They do not hesitate to attack anyone who disturbs them," he said.
"IT IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE FOR SOME SISTER PARTIES TO HOLD BACK" Özel continued his remarks: "The solidarity shown by our sister parties here is incredible. Both under Pedro's leadership, the Socialist International, and PES have shown great solidarity from the very beginning. However, we find it difficult to understand why some of our sister parties are holding back on this solidarity and maintaining a distance from the events happening in a European country where perhaps the greatest human rights violations of the last 50 years are taking place in order to establish some relations with Erdoğan. Let me say this much; we are already discussing the rest in closed meetings. There is something else I want to mention. 17 of our mayors are in detention, and our party's institutional identity is under attack. They are trying to cancel the congresses we were elected to and appoint trustees in our place. They are trying to take our buildings away from us. Killers who have murdered their own children are attacking us in the streets, and they are released again after two months. Young people are under pressure. But do not think that we are losing in Turkey because of this bad trend."
"WE ARE NOT SURRENDERING, TURKEY IS EMBRACING US" Stating that unlike Europe and the world, it is social democracy and the left that are rising in Turkey, Özel said, "After 48 years, our party became the first party for the first time 1.5 years ago. For the first time since Erdoğan founded his party, it became the second party. We won 65% of the municipalities in the local elections. For 1.5 years, our vote was 38% in all polls, and we were three points ahead of Erdoğan in the local elections. Right now, we are seven points ahead with 41%. We are in a process that organizes young people, workers, and everyone who is victimized with a Turkey model, inviting them to the streets; holding the largest rallies in Istanbul's history with 100,000 people on Wednesday evenings; and conducting weekend rallies with millions. Believe me, we are not surrendering. Those who take ownership of the ballot box and their future went to the polls with an 86% turnout in the last local elections. In other words, Turkey does not abandon the ballot box, which it owes its days to, for everything it possesses and loves. In fact, it embraces the ballot box. It embraces us. But Erdoğan has taken control of all state institutions and unfortunately the judiciary, and he is using it as a political tool with great injustices. There are main cadres of parties in Turkey, there are women's branches, there are youth branches. Erdoğan's party also has judicial branches. He made those who used to do politics in his party judges, and he made someone who was a deputy minister in his party the chief prosecutor of Istanbul. He attacks our dignity, our honor, everything. He canceled Ekrem İmamoğlu's 31-year diploma just so he wouldn't be a presidential candidate," he stated.
"THE GOVERNMENT HAS SUCCEEDED IN STRIKING A BLOW TO THE FUTURE WITH AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH" Özel continued his speech: "March 19 is a coup. By its nature, coups are always made against the government. But the current government has succeeded in striking a blow to the future with an extraordinarily innovative approach. They are staging a coup against the future's president, the future's ruling party with today's power of government. With the 63 massive rallies we have held so far, with 11 million citizens taking to the streets, and since the day I took over the leadership of the party, our membership has increased from 1.3 million to 2 million. We gained 700,000 new members in six months, and we are all fighting a great struggle together. Here, Europe must not deviate from the values that make Europe Europe, and if someone is trampling on these values, it must not define stability through relations with that leader, and it must not forget that the stability achieved with an authoritarian will herald tomorrow's instability. We understand Europe's security concerns and wholeheartedly advocate that the second strongest army in NATO should provide the most important contributions in this regard. The nuance is this: please ensure that Turkey's strong army is with you as part of Europe. But do not do this as a bargaining chip with Erdoğan, by ignoring the undemocratic practices in Turkey. Our only request is that our entire will is based on this."
"WE ARE AGAINST ALL KINDS OF HOSTILITY, WE ARE ON THE SIDE OF PEACE" Özel noted that the elections to be held in Turkey will be a referendum, saying, "Will it be autocracy or democracy? The elections to be held in Turkey will be a referendum.
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Is Turkey a part of a coalition of autocrats? Or is Turkey a part of Europe? We believe that Turkey should be an inseparable part of democratic Europe, and that we must succeed together, win together, and live in security and peace. I express our deepest solidarity with Ukraine and Palestine. Additionally, at last night's dinner, we listened to progressives from both Palestine and Israel. Today, here at this podium, we have heard both voices. We stand against all forms of hostility and are on the side of peace. And we know that all democrats in the world will succeed together. Our most important slogan in Turkey is from Bertolt Brecht: 'There is no liberation alone; either we all win together or none of us.' I greet you all with respect," he concluded his speech.