CHP chair Özgür Özel, met with DEM Party’s chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan in Ankara. After the two-hour conversation, the party leaders held a joint press conference at the CHP headquarters.

On Thursday, Özel, whose Republican People's Party (CHP) emerged as the strongest party in the local elections in Turkey at the end of March, met President and AKP leader Tayyip Erdoğan at the AKP headquarters.

Özel: Mutual exchange of ideas

Özgür Özel explained at the press conference that the conversation with the DEM Party chairs was an opportunity to exchange and evaluate thoughts and opinions. Among other things, the politicians talked about the effects of the local election results on the parliamentary elections, the current problems of the country, the democratic deficit in Turkey, the debate about a constitutional change and the meeting Özel had with Erdoğan.

Özel said: “After the last local elections, democracy in Turkey suffered a major blow. First with the situation in Van. However, a very important solidarity was shown there. Granting the mayoral license to the second strongest candidate was a disgrace and a mistake and has been reversed. I would like to express my cautious satisfaction that the appointment of trustees has not yet taken place.”

Bakırhan: A productive meeting

Tuncer Bakırhan assessed the meeting as productive in the sense of dialogue: “Until today, walls had been built between political institutions and there was polarization. As a result of this polarization, the problems of Turkey and the region could not be discussed freely or sufficiently by politicians. On 31 March, the people sent an important message to politicians. The current crises in Turkey can no longer be solved with the current government's approach; they are deepening. There are serious problems regarding democracy and freedoms. Every day we come across various examples of freedom of thought and expression. The political will reflected in the election results is still not accepted. These are the reasons why the opposition and political parties are coming together.”

The CHP bears responsibility

Bakırhan underlined that the country's problems must be solved, which is one of the main tasks of the opposition: “In the coming days, we as the opposition will come together more strongly. We will work to resolve the issues through dialogue and negotiations. The people of Turkey gave us this message during the elections. The political institution should play a role and take responsibility. They should play a constructive role in solving the existing problems. Of course, the Republican People's Party has a great responsibility in this regard. We know that in the coming days it will be valuable for the opposition to meet on a common basis and act through the exchange of common views, to be the language and voice of the people and to address the problems of the people, the working people and the to solve the poor. In this context, the CHP chair stated that he would play a constructive role.”

Opposition should be bolder

Bakırhan continued: “The policies that have been pursued in Turkey to this day have caused a deep crisis. The Gezi trial, the Kobanê trial, the political repression, the developments in the judiciary and the economy show that we are not in a good situation. In the coming period, we will sit down with other political parties, especially the CHP, and discuss how to solve these problems. The opposition should be bolder. We will take greater responsibility to resolve the problems we face through democratic ways and methods, negotiation and dialogue.”

Hatimoğulları: Fighting together for democratization

Stating that many topics were discussed during the meeting and discussing solutions to the current problems requires strong coordination, Tülay Hatimoğulları said: “Unfortunately, politics has always separated and polarized to date. We hope that together we can continue our work for a democratic Turkey, a democratic republic, aware of the duty and responsibility that our citizens have placed on all segments, especially the opposition, after the 31 March elections.”