Özgür Özel, head of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has extended an invitation to opposition Homeland Party (MP) leader Muharrem İnce, who was the opposition’s presidential candidate in the 2018 elections, to return to the CHP amid an escalating crackdown on opposition figures, the Birgün daily reported on Wednesday.
Özel met İnce at MP headquarters in Ankara, part of a broader effort to build solidarity among opposition parties. Speaking after the meeting, Özel referred to the CHP as the “family home,” invoking the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the CHP and modern Turkey.
“We invite everyone back to the family home,” Özel said. “If there is one family home tied to the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, that home is the CHP — and the party closest to it is the Homeland Party, and Muharrem İnce.”
İnce, who ran as the CHP’s presidential candidate in 2018 before leaving the party in 2021 to establish the MP, said he would consult with his party’s leadership before formally responding, adding that he highly valued the visit.
“In the coming days, I will hold a meeting with my party’s executive board to hear their views, and I will visit the [CHP] leader again as soon as possible,” İnce said.
The invitation comes as the Turkish government intensifies legal pressure on the opposition. The crackdown escalated in March with the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a leading challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential race. İmamoğlu was detained on March 19 and later arrested on corruption charges widely seen as politically motivated. The investigation has expanded to include 47 municipal officials and opposition figures, with 30 arrests reported. Critics see the sweeping probe as an attempt to weaken the opposition and consolidate power ahead of a potential snap election.
İnce received 30.6 percent of the vote as the CHP’s candidate in the 2018 presidential election, losing to Erdoğan, who won with 52.5 percent. In 2021 he split from the CHP and founded the Homeland Party. Ahead of the 2023 elections, İnce initially declared his candidacy but withdrew weeks before the vote amid concerns his campaign would divide the opposition. Despite pulling out, his name remained on the ballot.
Özel’s outreach to İnce is widely seen as part of a broader effort to rally fragmented opposition groups against what they describe as an authoritarian shift in Turkish politics.
“We must set aside old grievances and focus on our shared goals,” İnce said.
Though no formal decision has been made, a potential return by İnce to the CHP could reshape the opposition landscape ahead of the next elections.