Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel met for the second time on 11 May to address pressing issues concerning the nation. The discussions centered on constitutional reforms, economic challenges and the policies regarding state-appointed trustees replacing deposed mayors.
Taking place at the CHP headquarters following a 40-day interval since their initial meeting, this encounter marks another significant step in what the AKP terms “political softening” and the CHP labels as “normalisation”. This ongoing dialogue process assumes heightened importance, particularly in the aftermath of the CHP’s victorious performance in the recent local elections.
During the meeting, the leaders tackled various critical topics on Turkey’s agenda, with a particular focus on the recent verdicts in the Kobani case, in which Kurdish elected politicians were prosecuted and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment, contentious trustee appointments such as that in Hakkari municipality where the elected Kurdish mayor was deposed and replaced by a ‘trustee’ appointed by the state, and the country’s economic downturn.
Commentators have characterised this dialogue as an exchange of perspectives on their respective agendas, especially given the CHP’s recent electoral successes. Spokesperson for the CHP Deniz Yücel revealed that Erdoğan revisited the proposal for constitutional amendments, a topic last discussed before their initial meeting. Yücel stressed the necessity of addressing societal grievances as a precondition for any meaningful constitutional reform.
Following the meeting, Yücel reiterated the CHP’s firm opposition to recent governmental actions, particularly condemning steps taken related to the Kobani case and trustee appointments. He highlighted that the discussions also touched upon various politically sensitive cases in Turkey, including the Gezi trial, in which environmental activists were prosecuted, the Sinan Ateş case, which investigated the murder of the former far right leader who was assassinated after criticising certain Islmaists, and the case of Emine Şenyaşar, who lost two sons and her husband to killers connected to AKP, all items brought onto the agenda by Özgür Özel himself.
Regarding trustee appointments, Yücel reiterated the party’s stance, arguing that such appointments are incompatible with democratic principles and have lasting repercussions according to the Constitution. He emphasised that even in cases where the mayor in question is found guilty of an offence, imposing trusteeship not only penalises the mayor but also undermines the will of the voters and the integrity of the municipal council.
