Mustafa Elitaş, group deputy chairperson of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) who accompanied President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in rare talks with the main opposition party, said on Monday more meetings can be held.
Elitaş hailed the unity of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the AK Party in Cyprus over the weekend. CHP leader Özgür Özel accompanied Erdoğan to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) for events to mark the 50th anniversary of a Turkish military operation that rescued the lives of Turkish Cypriots. Özel has underlined unconditional support to the government on its stance to safeguard the rights of Turkish Cypriots, one of the few issues the government and opposition agree upon.
Speaking to broadcaster CNN Türk, Elitaş said Erdoğan and Özel, who formally met twice (first at the AK Party headquarters and later at CHP headquarters) may come together at the Presidential Complex in an upcoming event for Republic Day on Oct. 29. The opposition often shies away from a formal meeting at the complex it long criticized even before its construction began.
The “normalization” process between the government and the opposition, which started with the landmark meeting of Erdoğan and CHP leader Özgür Özel following the March 31 elections, moved forward with more meetings. Erdoğan and Özel met a second time recently, this time Erdoğan visiting CHP headquarters. Later, shadow ministers of the CHP held talks with their counterparts in the government, from the foreign minister to the interior minister.
Erdoğan’s meeting with Özel was a milestone in Turkish politics as the two politicians, often at odds, formally came together for the first time since Özel replaced Erdoğan’s bitter rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as head of Türkiye’s oldest party.
The municipal elections, which gave a much-needed boost to the CHP which consecutively lost to Erdoğan in general elections, was the turning point in terms of normalization. It also encouraged the CHP to talk about an early election, four years before the 2028 race. Özel has been more vocal about his demand for an early election though he dismissed it in the immediate aftermath of the municipal polls. Commenting on the election call, Elitaş said it was something not on their agenda. “I believe Özgür Özel is pressed by his party. It is something about the inner dynamics of the CHP. It is obvious that Özel is stuck between reality and the pressure,” he said.
Unconfirmed reports say Özel already faces a challenge from his predecessor Kılıçdaroğlu who still has loyalists within the party ahead of an autumn convention that may also pave the way for a new election for a chair in the party. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who endorsed Özel against Kılıçdaroğlu in the intra-party election, is also viewed as another rival to the CHP chair for the 2028 presidential elections according to political pundits. Imamoğlu rides a wave of popularity after winning back-to-back elections against the AK Party for the coveted seat of Istanbul mayoralty.
