CHP vows jobs, housing support in new youth initiative

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) pledged a broad youth support package on May 18, promising reforms in education, employment, housing and social freedoms.

During an event in Ankara, CHP leader Özgür Özel said the proposed “Integrated Youth Guarantee” program would focus on five core areas: Education, health, employment, housing and the economy.

Özel said young people in Türkiye were increasingly “forced to choose between building a future in their own country or leaving abroad” because of economic pressures and limited opportunities.

Under the plan, the CHP pledged to expand staffing in public schools by appointing more teachers, security personnel and health workers. The party also vowed measures against school violence, drug-related crime and bullying, while promising free school meals and clean drinking water in all public schools nationwide.

The package also includes financial support measures aimed at easing the burden on students. Özel said university scholarships would be raised within a year to the equivalent of “1.5 quarter gold coins,” while new state dormitories would be built to address student housing shortages.

The CHP leader further proposed a “Young Tenant Law” intended to protect young renters from soaring housing costs.

On employment, the CHP said every person under 25 would be guaranteed either a job, internship or educational opportunity through an employment program. The party also pledged to abolish oral interviews in public sector recruitment.

The proposals also touched on social freedoms and technology policy. Özel promised faster adaptation to next-generation telecommunications technologies and called for the removal of concert and festival bans, saying young people needed greater access to cultural and social activities. He also reiterated support for visa-free travel to Europe.