Turkish political parties, including the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), have dismissed the main opposition Republican People's Party’s (CHP) attempt to push for interim parliamentary elections.
“Can Mr. Özgür Özel persuade 22 CHP lawmakers to resign? The CHP has far bigger problems right now,” MHP Deputy Group Chair Filiz Kılıç told reporters Friday.
CHP leader Özgür Özel earlier this week hinted at a new move for rescheduling the 2028 general elections. Though he did not elaborate, pro-CHP media outlets said the party may have several lawmakers resign to force Parliament to have an early election.
Kılıç said the MHP is “closely monitoring” the corruption allegations facing the CHP and added, “We wish for a strong opposition for Türkiye’s democracy to develop and therefore do not consider a by-election likely.”
Under the Turkish Constitution, local elections are held every five years, and adjusting this schedule requires a constitutional amendment. So far, no party in Parliament, except the minor opposition Good Party (IP), has backed Özel’s push, and the CHP’s former ally, Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), has also refrained.
The DEM Party, which has been cooperating with the parliamentary commission to dissolve the PKK terrorist group it is affiliated with, said it prioritizes the terror-free Türkiye process and ruled out a snap election as ”the right course of action.”
The disagreement over the by-elections has raised questions about whether it will create a new rift between the DEM Party and the CHP, which previously clashed over the "Imralı visit" controversy when the CHP refused to join a Parliament-wide delegation that met with the PKK’s jailed ringleader at his prison island Imralı last November as part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
DEM Party officials have said that an election-focused agenda pushed by the CHP could overshadow efforts to end PKK terrorism, which has claimed over 40,000 lives and sown deep discord in Türkiye since the 1980s.
Meanwhile, the AK Party accused the CHP of using early election rhetoric to distract from corruption in its municipalities. Spokesperson Ömer Çelik said Wednesday that Özel was “detached from the realities of Türkiye and the world,” and party leadership considers the move politically ineffective.
MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli too has previously rejected the possibility of early elections in no uncertain terms.
Bahçeli has also firmly rejected the possibility of early elections. Yet Özel remains determined, insisting, “We will do everything to bring out the ballot box for a general election.” He plans to meet Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş and opposition leaders to seek support in the coming days.
Eight seats are currently vacant in Parliament for various reasons. If the number of lawmakers falls by 5%, or 30 deputies, Parliament is obliged to call elections for those constituencies within three months.
The CHP may propose the resignation of 22 of its parliament members, but such resignations can only be accepted by a decision of the General Assembly. The AK Party, which holds a majority in Parliament, will be decisive as well.
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. On Wednesday, a new hearing was held in the trial over the CHP’s 38th Congress, which brought Özel to power in November 2023. Özel and his associates are accused of buying votes of delegates to oust then-Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The trial was postponed to May 6 amid media reports that the verdict will likely be an “absolute nullification” of the Özel administration.
