Özgür Özel, the chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has said that lasting peace with the country’s Kurds is impossible without broad democratic reforms, rejecting what he described as the government’s tendency to separate security steps from democratization, Turkish Minute reported.
Speaking to BBC Turkish service on Monday, Özel argued that Ankara’s approach of prioritizing either security or legislation before democratic reform was fundamentally flawed. “Without democratization, the Kurdish issue cannot be solved,” he said.
The Kurdish issue, a term prevalent in Turkey’s public discourse, refers to the demand for equal rights by the country’s Kurdish population and their struggle for recognition.
Özel stated that the CHP advocates an “intertwined” approach rather than a step-by-step model in which peace and democracy are treated as separate stages. He said the CHP believes democratization, peace and a lasting solution must advance together, arguing that treating one step as a temporary bridge to democracy is not a workable approach.
The comments come amid renewed peace efforts following the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) decision earlier this year to dissolve itself and end its armed campaign, after a call from its jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan. A parliamentary commission was established in August to propose legal steps linked to the process, sparking criticism from nationalist groups and sharp political debate.
Özel noted that his party had joined the commission in good faith and had offered constructive proposals focused on democratic reforms, despite pressure from the government and criticism from rival opposition parties.
He said internal polling showed broad support for the party’s position, including among Kurdish voters. “The public says that joining the commission is right, staying there is right, and not going to İmralı is also right,” Özel said, referring to criticism that the CHP should have sent a delegation to the island prison where Öcalan is held.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused the CHP of weakening the process by failing to propose concrete legislation in the commission’s report, a claim Özel rejected, saying the government was focused on political messaging rather than substance.
The CHP leader’s remarks come against the backdrop of a growing judicial crackdown on the CHP that the party says is politically motivated. According to a recent CHP report, 16 CHP mayors have been jailed and trustees appointed to 13 municipalities since October 2024.
The most prominent case involves İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, widely seen as Erdoğan’s strongest potential rival. İmamoğlu was arrested in March on corruption charges and later suspended from office. Prosecutors have filed a nearly 4,000-page indictment accusing him of leading a criminal network, seeking a sentence of up to 2,430 years in prison.
İmamoğlu has strongly denied all accusations, while the CHP has described the case as an effort to block him from running in the 2028 presidential election. His arrest triggered the largest street protests in Turkey since 2013.
Özel warned that attempts to sideline opposition figures through prosecutions would backfire politically. “To say ‘I will jail my rival and win the election’ is unacceptable,” he said.
Akın Gürlek, a former judge notorious for rulings against government critics who was appointed İstanbul chief public prosecutor in October 2024, is also the figure behind leading an ongoing crackdown on the CHP. He has been accused by the CHP of acting as a political enforcer for the government, an allegation Ankara denies.
Looking ahead, Özel said the CHP would continue the mass rallies launched after İmamoğlu’s arrest but would increasingly focus on presenting policy alternatives through a newly established “Presidential Candidate Office,” which brings together policy teams that function as a shadow cabinet. He said the office is designed to move the CHP beyond reacting to court cases and political pressure and toward presenting a detailed alternative vision on how it would govern Turkey.
He reaffirmed that İmamoğlu remained the party’s sole presidential candidate and dismissed speculation about alternatives, while saying the CHP was prepared for all scenarios.
