Özgür Özel, Turkey’s main opposition leader, has sharply criticized the European Union and the international community for remaining silent in the face of what he described as an escalating crackdown by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on democratic institutions and political opponents in the country, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Anka news agency.
Speaking at a preparatory meeting of the Party of European Socialists (PES) on Thursday ahead of the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, Özel said, “It would be inaccurate to say Erdoğan is even feeling 10 percent of the pressure he should be under from the EU and the international community.”
Özel’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been the subject of a harsh crackdown since October that saw the arrest of many mayors and city officials of CHP-run municipalities, mostly in İstanbul, including the city’s popular Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
İmamoğlu, the CHP’s presidential candidate for the next election, was detained on March 19 and later arrested on corruption charges criticized as politically motivated. His arrest, widely seen as targeting the biggest political rival to longtime President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election, sparked Turkey’s worst protests in a decade.
The arrest of İmamoğlu and other opposition politicians has attracted criticism from Europe, the UN and some political parties and organizations around the continent, but the CHP and İmamoğlu complain that their criticism is muted and fail to create any pressure on Erdoğan to halt his crackdown.
Özel warned that the West’s perceived tolerance of Erdoğan has encouraged him to tighten control at home, especially by targeting the CHP with politically driven court cases and arrests.
“Unfortunately, European leaders continue to treat Erdoğan as irreplaceable and are signaling this to him. He uses that perception to his advantage domestically, reinforcing the idea that the world has no alternative to Erdoğan,” he said.
The CHP leader also accused Erdoğan of “acting like the owner of Turkey” and managing Europe’s security anxieties on his own terms despite the fact that the public support for his party has sunk below 30 percent in recent polls.
“Meanwhile, the CHP has become the leading party, polling at 41 percent after our recent electoral victory,” he said.
Erdoğan’s crackdown on the CHP follows his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) worst election defeat since coming to power two decades ago in the local elections held in March 2024, where the CHP emerged as the country’s leading party after decades out of power.
Özel rejected the idea that EU–Turkey relations should focus only on refugees or defense and said, “Turkey is more than Erdoğan’s government. Our party is now the main political force, and a change in power is only a matter of time.”
President Erdoğan is being accused of using the issue of refugees, as the leader of the country hosting the largest refugee population, as a bargaining chip in his dealings with the European Union.
Since the 2016 EU-Turkey migration deal, he has frequently threatened to open Turkey’s borders and allow millions of refugees to cross into Europe if the EU fails to meet his demands, such as financial support or political concessions. These tactics have drawn criticism from human rights groups and some EU lawmakers, who accuse Erdoğan of weaponizing vulnerable populations to gain leverage in negotiations.
Özel also urged European leaders to connect with Turkey’s democratic institutions and civil society, not just its government. “Turkey should move closer to the EU, but this must be based on democracy and the rule of law,” he said. “Our people still look to Europe.”
