Ümit Özdağ, leader of the far-right Victory Party (ZP), courted the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Thursday, suggesting an alliance.
At a news conference in Ankara, Özdağ said it was understood that CHP leader Özgür Özel would have his party’s lawmakers resign in a bid to launch a process for a by-election (with two years to the next election). “The by-election is not a solution in itself, and the resignations would be subject to the approval of the ruling bloc. So, we call on the CHP and other parties to come together for a national alliance. We call on Mr. Özel and all other Atatürkists, patriots and nationalists to come together under Atatürk,” he said, referring to Türkiye’s first president and CHP’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Özdağ also called on the CHP not to support the terror-free Türkiye initiative for the disarmament of the PKK. Özdağ and like-minded ultranationalists claim the initiative is “betrayal.”
“The CHP only gives legitimacy to the government by remaining at that table,” he said, referring to the parliamentary committee formed by political parties for guiding legislative steps for the initiative.
The ZP leader, who rode a wave of popularity with his anti-migrant rhetoric during the Syrian civil war, which pushed millions of refugees into Türkiye, briefly supported a six-party alliance led by the CHP during the 2023 elections before reverting to his opposition to the CHP and others in the alliance, including his former party, the Good Party (IP). The election ended in a runoff between then CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who eventually won another term. Özdağ supported Kılıçdaroğlu in the second round after the ZP’s alliance collapsed when their candidate stepped down following the first round. At one point, Özdağ later admitted that he asked for the post of interior minister in exchange for supporting Erdoğan in the election, but Erdoğan rejected the proposal.
Özel has been vocal about his calls for an early vote as a court in Ankara handles a trial questioning the legitimacy of Özel’s leadership at Türkiye’s oldest party. He told a news conference in Ankara that he would seek a meeting with Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş in the coming days. “The speaker should declare his stance on an early election. We will make a significant move soon for an early election,” he sufficed to say.
Media outlets reported that the CHP would initially seek a by-election in Parliament. The Constitution allows a legislative by-election after 30 months have passed since the last general election and one year before the scheduled date of the next election. If vacant parliamentary seats are 30 or more, Parliament is mandated to declare a by-election. Unconfirmed reports say eight seats are already vacant, and if 22 CHP lawmakers resign, Parliament may decide on a by-election. However, the resignations will only be valid if Parliament’s General Assembly approves, where the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) retains a majority. Özel will likely seek to persuade Kurtulmuş to approve the resignations, media reports say. The government has repeatedly rejected calls for an early election, although the AK Party signalled that the 2028 election may be rescheduled, but only to the last months of 2027.
