President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday accused the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) of pursuing "cheap politics” and attempting to discredit local officials who recently joined the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), while also criticizing opposition rhetoric targeting Turks living abroad.
Speaking at the AK Party’s Expanded Provincial Chairs' Meeting in Ankara, Erdoğan welcomed the mayor of Afyonkarahisar’s Dinar district and municipal council members who switched from the CHP to the ruling party, presenting the move as proof that the AK Party remains "the center of Turkish politics.”
"We have opened our doors wide to everyone who thinks in a Türkiye-centered way and embraces our principles,” Erdoğan said, adding that the AK Party would continue bringing together politicians focused on "service and development.”
CHP leader Özgür Özel reacted angrily to the defections during his party’s parliamentary meeting on Monday, issuing a stark warning to Afyonkarahisar Mayor Burcu Köksal over her departure from the CHP.
Referring to claims that some opposition politicians faced pressure or investigations, Özel said, "When the Republican People’s Party comes to power, don’t you dare come begging at our door,” remarks that drew strong criticism from AK Party figures who described the language as threatening and divisive.
Erdoğan put the CHP leadership on blast over its response to the transfers, accusing the opposition of resorting to insults and political polarization instead of self-criticism.
"The CHP administration is trying to compensate for a mistake with an even bigger mistake,” he said. "This is cheap politics, and its usefulness has long since expired.”
Without directly naming opposition figures, Erdoğan condemned what he described as a confrontational political style following the local officials’ move to the AK Party.
"Attacking and insulting people with tavern jargon cannot close the capacity gap in politics,” he said. "The CHP leadership should stop mocking the intelligence of the citizens.”
The president also linked his criticism to wider tensions between the government and opposition over outreach to the Turkish diaspora, accusing some opposition politicians of dismissive and exclusionary rhetoric toward Turks living in Europe.
"Our citizens living abroad are also affected by the opposition’s problematic approach,” Erdoğan said, arguing that more than 7 million Turks overseas were frequently treated as "second-class citizens” by opposition circles.
His remarks referenced recent criticism directed at government officials following visits to Turkish business owners and community representatives in Belgium and other European countries.
Erdoğan defended those visits, saying the government would continue engaging with overseas Turks regardless of opposition objections.
"We cannot turn our backs on the Turkish diaspora just because the opposition wants it that way,” he said. "Whether they live in our country or abroad, we will continue to embrace all our citizens with the same affection.”
The president described the Turkish diaspora as an inseparable part of the nation and highlighted its economic and cultural contributions to Türkiye. He said overseas Turks contribute more than $11 billion annually to tourism revenues alone, while also supporting the country through trade, diplomacy, education and science.
"Just as our citizens in Ankara are our people, our citizens in Berlin and Brussels are also a part of our very being,” Erdoğan said.
He also used the meeting to emphasize party unity ahead of the AK Party’s 25th anniversary celebrations, saying the ruling movement would focus on shaping Türkiye’s future rather than engaging in "shallow political agendas.”
"We are not a movement that finds honor in positions or titles,” he said. "We see honor in serving the nation.”