18.02.2026 15:52
President Erdoğan, referring to the period when Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was the leader of the CHP, said, "During that time, we fiercely competed with the CHP in the political arena. Thanks to the support of our nation, we have successfully crossed the finish line in all these races. We did not experience any difficulties. However, the situation the CHP has fallen into now is too complicated to be explained by the dynamics of politics."
President and AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered questions from the press on the plane while returning to Turkey after his official visit to Ethiopia.
"DURING KILIÇDAROĞLU'S TERM..."
Evaluating the current issues, Erdoğan referred to the period when Kılıçdaroğlu was the Chairman of the CHP, stating, "We fiercely competed with the CHP in the political arena during that time as well. Thanks to the support of our nation, we have won all these races. We did not experience any difficulties. However, the situation the CHP has fallen into now is too complicated to be explained by the dynamics of politics," he said.
WHY DID HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS ÖZGÜR ÖZEL CHANGE?
In response to a question from a journalist, "Recently, your attitude towards Özgür Özel, who has intensified his contact with Silivri, has changed significantly. Both your criticisms have become much harsher, and you made a statement like 'I have lost hope.' What does this mean, and what is happening today that was not present in the CHP in the past?" Erdoğan replied, "Now the Republican People's Party is actually in a very different predicament. On one hand, there are corruption, theft, and bribery gangs, and on the other hand, the embodiment of incompetent and unqualified politics has surrounded the CHP. They are in such an effort. We criticize our opponent politically. We also oppose the theses they put forward to the end. We present and defend our own theses on the most reasonable ground. Of course, this is something inherent in politics. But do they have such a concern? No," he said.
"YOU CAN'T GET ANYWHERE WITH THESE INSULTS"
Continuing his remarks, Erdoğan intensified his criticisms, stating, "Foot games, known daggers, internal party conspiracies have significantly shifted the ground on which the CHP stands in politics. It is not possible to explain this merely as lack of vision, incompetence, and ineptitude. But the situation is really getting worse. The Chairman insults me and my friends with insults wherever he goes. You can't get anywhere with these insults. Therefore, we are not concerned with the swamp the CHP has fallen into. We are just focusing on our work. We hope to continue on our path like this," he said.