18.10.2025
“WE ARE CURRENTLY SEVEN POINTS AHEAD OF ERDOĞAN WITH 41 PERCENT”
“TURKEY IS NOT ABANDONING THE BALLOT BOX; IN FACT, IT IS CLINGING TO IT CLINGING TO US”
“ERDOĞAN HAS CAPTURED THE JUDICIARY AND IS USING IT AS A POLITICAL WEAPON THROUGH GROSS INJUSTICE”
“DO NOT EVER OVERLOOK ERDOĞAN’S ANTIDEMOCRATIC PRACTICES IN TURKEY IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS ARMY”
“WE STAND AGAINST ALL FORMS OF HOSTILITY WE STAND WITH PEACE”
Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairperson Özgür Özel attended the Party of European Socialists (PES) Congress held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Addressing the audience, CHP Leader Özel said:
“Dear comrades, esteemed prime ministers, ministers, distinguished leaders, and my precious comrades filling this hall I greet you all with respect. I would like to begin by congratulating Stefan and his wonderful team, who renewed their mandate yesterday. They are carrying out extremely important responsibilities on behalf of all of us during a very challenging period. I wish them success in this new term.”
He continued:
“DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY IS UNDER ATTACK”
“Our country is either at the epicenter or right beside many critical international issues. As Giacomo also mentioned earlier, we must wage a tremendous struggle to defend democratic values in Turkey. Because democracy, human rights, and the right to vote and be elected are under attack.
I thank you for giving us this platform to express solidarity with Turkey on such a day, for listening to us, and for the solidarity you displayed yesterday by standing for minutes in applause when Ekrem İmamoğlu’s message was played. Your warm reception means a great deal to us.
Democracy in Turkey is under assault not only through attacks on our party and the imprisonment of our presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu. Journalists, intellectuals, unionists, businesspeople anyone who disturbs the government is detained or arrested. They are held in prison for months until an indictment is issued, even though they would not serve a single day in jail if they were actually convicted of the alleged crime. They are subjected to what is essentially pre-sentencing.
Just last week, the government rounded up nearly all opposition artists at 6:00 a.m., forcing urine, blood, and hair tests on them, claiming ‘drug use.’ Perhaps a few will test positive, but for all the rest, it was a brutal assault on their dignity and reputation. They attack anyone who unsettles them.”
“IT IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHY SOME SISTER PARTIES HOLD BACK”
“The solidarity shown here by our sister parties is extraordinary. From the very beginning, both the Socialist International under Pedro’s leadership and PES have shown strong support.
However, we struggle to understand why some sister parties remain distant and hesitate to stand with us especially when massive human rights violations are taking place in a European country, and especially when such hesitation stems from attempts to maintain certain relationships with Erdoğan. I will say only this much the rest we discuss in closed meetings.
Let me add this: 17 of our mayors are currently imprisoned. Our party’s institutional identity is under attack. The government attempts to annul our elected congresses and appoint trustees in our place. They try to confiscate our buildings. Killers who murdered our young supporters attack us in broad daylight and are released within two months. Young people are under enormous pressure.
But do not think this decline means we are losing.”
“WE ARE NOT SURRENDERING TURKEY IS EMBRACING US”
“Contrary to the broader trend in Europe and the world, where the far right is rising, social democracy and the left are rising in Turkey. After 48 years, our party became the leading party 1.5 years ago. For the first time since its founding, Erdoğan’s party became the second party.
In the local elections, we won 65 percent of the municipalities. For 1.5 years, our polling average has been 38 percent three points ahead of Erdoğan. Today, we are at 41 percent seven points ahead.
We are in a process where a ‘Turkey model’ is organizing youth, workers, and the marginalized bringing millions into the streets, holding midweek rallies of 100,000 people in Istanbul, and massive weekend rallies nationwide.
Believe me we are not surrendering. Those who protect the ballot box and their future went to vote with an 86 percent turnout in the last local elections. Turkey is not abandoning the ballot box the very thing to which it owes everything it values. Turkey is clinging to the ballot box. Clinging to us.
But Erdoğan has captured all state institutions and sadly, the judiciary. He uses it as a political instrument through grave injustices.
In Turkey, parties have women’s branches, youth branches, and main party branches. Erdoğan’s party also has ‘judicial branches.’ He made former party politicians judges. He appointed a former deputy minister from his party as Chief Prosecutor of Istanbul. They attack our dignity, our honor everything.
They annulled Ekrem İmamoğlu’s 31-year-old diploma just to prevent him from becoming a presidential candidate.”
“DO NOT ENGAGE IN A GIVE-AND-TAKE BARGAIN WITH ERDOĞAN”
“19 March is a coup. By its nature, a coup is always carried out against the government. But today’s government through a remarkably ‘innovative’ approach has managed to carry out a coup against the future. They are using today’s power to mount a coup against the future president and the future governing party.
We have responded with 63 massive rallies, 11 million people taking to the streets, and an expansion of our party membership from 1.3 million to 2 million within six months a growth of 700,000 new members.
We are fighting this struggle together.
Europe must remain faithful to the values that make Europe what it is. If someone tramples these values, Europe should not build ‘stability’ based on transactional relationships with that leader. The stability achieved with an autocrat today becomes the instability of tomorrow.
We understand Europe’s security concerns, and we wholeheartedly support the vital role that NATO’s second-largest army must play in the alliance. The nuance is this: please ensure that Turkey’s strong army remains part of Europe and works with you. But do not reduce this to a give-and-take bargain with Erdoğan do not overlook or remain silent about his antidemocratic practices in Turkey in exchange for military cooperation. This is our only request.”
“THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS IN TURKEY WILL BE A REFERENDUM”
“The elections to be held in Turkey will be a referendum: autocracy or democracy? A Turkey that is part of a coalition of autocrats? Or a Turkey that is part of Europe?
We believe Turkey must be an inseparable part of democratic Europe and that together, we must succeed, and live in peace and security.
I express once again our deepest solidarity with Ukraine and with Palestine. At last night’s dinner, we listened to progressives from both Palestine and Israel. Today, here at this podium, we heard both voices again.
We stand against all forms of hostility. We stand with peace.
And we know that all democrats of the world will succeed together.
Our most important slogan in Turkey comes from Bertolt Brecht:
‘No salvation alone, Either all together or none of us!’
I greet you all with respect.”
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