“Turkey is greater than Tayyip Erdoğan,” declared Özgür Özel, leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), as he urged European nations to reconsider their political support for Ankara at his party event on Monday. Özel accused Western powers of enabling President Erdoğan’s government at the expense of democracy.
Özel criticised European governments for holding double standards, saying, “Europeans who play democracy at home while propping up an autocracy in Turkey for the sake of stability,” should reconsider their stance. He argued that Erdoğan’s government was relying on European political credit while curbing freedoms at home.
His remarks come amid increasing concerns about democratic erosion in Turkey, including the imprisonment of opposition figures and the government’s growing control over the judiciary. Özel highlighted the case of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who faces legal challenges despite being elected by popular vote. “While this is being done to Ekrem İmamoğlu, a legitimately elected mayor—who tomorrow you’ll be queuing up to call for an appointment—what was your position today?” he asked.
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He also warned against European nations treating Turkey as a buffer zone for migrants. “Those who say, ‘We’ll pay the Turks and let them deal with the Syrians,’ ‘We’ll use the Turkish army as a shield for Europe,’ should know this government will be gone next year,” he stated, claiming that a significant majority of Turkish voters want a change in leadership.
Özel accused Erdoğan’s government of suppressing democratic opposition while seeking legitimacy abroad. He recalled past instances when the ruling party sought international backing, particularly after the failed coup attempt in 2016. “When it came to the headscarf issue, the AK Party represented Turkey to the world. On the morning of 15 July, they came knocking on our door and said to our leader Kemal Bey [former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu]: ‘Let’s explain this coup attempt to the world together.’ And now, you’re the ones complaining about us to the world?” he said.
Addressing Western powers directly, Özel warned that history would judge their response to Turkey’s current political climate. “Turkey will remember the silence of its friends more than the voices of its enemies,” he stated. He called for international solidarity with those opposing Erdoğan’s rule, criticising the continued detention of young activists. “Our 18-year-old children are being thrown into Silivri Prison without a single day of sentencing,” he said, urging Europe not to turn a blind eye.
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Özel’s speech reflects growing tensions between Turkey’s opposition and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) ahead of the next elections. While Erdoğan remains a dominant force in Turkish politics, opposition leaders like Özel are rallying domestic and international support to challenge his rule. The CHP leader’s strong rhetoric underscores an effort to bring Turkey’s democratic concerns to the global stage and pressure Europe into taking a firmer stance on Ankara’s governance.
