Özgür Özel, the chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has criticized Europe’s leading center-left parties for maintaining close ties with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, saying the lack of solidarity with Turkey’s opposition is strengthening Erdoğan’s authoritarian rule, the Anka news agency reported.
Speaking at a meeting of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in Brussels on Thursday, the CHP leader said European support remains strong at the parliamentary level but fades when it comes to governments in power.
“We receive strong support at the parliamentary level, but when it comes to the executive level, the leaders of our allied parties who are in power are extremely hesitant to show solidarity with us, and this ends up strengthening Erdoğan’s position in Turkey,” Özel said.
Özel singled out the UK’s Labour Party, saying its approach toward Erdoğan went beyond what could be justified among allied parties.
Genel Başkanımız Özgür Özel, Belçika’nın başkenti Brüksel’de Avrupa Birliği Zirvesi öncesinde düzenlenen, Avrupa Sosyalist Partisi Liderler Toplantısına katıldı. pic.twitter.com/bxKE8LJSka
— CHP 🇹🇷 (@herkesicinCHP) December 18, 2025
“The British Labour Party today shows solidarity with Erdoğan beyond what even he expects. This is something we can’t accept,” the CHP leader said, adding that he raises this objection on every platform “and will continue to do so.”
Özel said that Turkey is facing an unprecedented political crackdown following his party’s sweeping victory in the March 2024 local elections, in which the opposition won municipalities representing 65 percent of the population and 85 percent of the economy.
“Sixteen of our mayors and 102 of my political colleagues are in prison. Three metropolitan mayors — the mayors of Antalya, Adana and İstanbul — are jailed. We are under heavy attack,” he said.
When popular İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the strongest political rival of Erdoğan, was arrested on what many call politically motivated charges in March, Özel criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer due to his “silence” over İmamoğlu’s arrest.
He said during an interview with the BBC that while other European leaders and countries were condemning the arrest of İmamoğlu, the silence of Starmer and his Labour Party was “really hard to understand.”
“We feel abandoned. What kind of friendship is this, what kind of a brother party is this? How can the UK, the cradle of democracy, and our brother party, the Labour Party, remain silent about this? We are truly offended,” Özel said at the time.
Both Labour and the CHP are members of the Party of European Socialists and the Progressive Alliance. Labour holds observer status in the London-based Socialist International, while the CHP is a member.
Starmer paid a visit to Turkey in October, when Turkey and the United Kingdom signed a major defense agreement for the sale of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, a deal valued at nearly $11 billion.
He said nothing about the ongoing crackdown on the opposition in Turkey during his visit, his first since becoming prime minister in July 2024.
According to a CHP report published in late October, 16 CHP mayors are currently jailed and trustees have been appointed to 13 municipalities since the local elections. The party describes the prosecutions as a “judicial coup” aimed at reversing its electoral gains, while the government denies political motivation, saying all investigations are carried out in accordance with the law.
Özel warned European leaders against prioritizing short-term stability over democratic principles, arguing that authoritarian leaders cannot offer lasting security.
“You cannot respond to the problems created by authoritarians by seeking solutions with other authoritarians,” he said, noting that any alliance formed against authoritarianism should be a “democracy alliance.”
He also criticized European Council President António Costa for leaving the Brussels meeting without holding a bilateral meeting, calling the lack of even a brief discussion “unacceptable” given Turkey’s current political climate.
AKP gov’t accuses Özel of inviting foreign interference
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik responded sharply to Özel’s remarks, accusing the CHP leader of using criticism of Turkey abroad as a political tactic.
“Özgür Özel has turned complaining about our president and our country abroad in order to seek support a into a hallmark of his political character,” Çelik said in a statement on X. “This is a very poor record for a political party and a politician.”
CHP Genel Başkanı Sn Özgür Özel Brüksel’de kendilerinin kardeş parti kabul ettiği partilerin Cumhurbaşkanımızla güçlü diyalog içinde olmasını ve Türkiye’ye destek vermesini eleştirmiş.
Sn Özgür Özel yurtdışında destek bulmak için Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımızı ve Türkiye’yi şikayet…
— Ömer Çelik (@omerrcelik) December 18, 2025
Çelik said Özel’s comments amounted to inviting foreign actors to intervene in Turkey’s domestic politics and accused him of using the language of Europe’s far-right against Erdoğan, whom he noted has repeatedly won elections.
He also dismissed Özel’s criticism of Costa, saying opposition figures should instead understand why foreign leaders seek meetings with Erdoğan at international summits.
“Inviting other parties to intervene in Turkey’s domestic politics is unacceptable. This is a major political drift,” Çelik said.