Main opposition leader Özgür Özel has defended his decision to support legislation underpinning the government’s anti-terror initiative, saying he was guided by the country’s interests.
“I have a clear conscience. It would not be right to do the opposite of a position we have defended for years simply because of our opposition to [President] Erdoğan. I think we made the right decision,” Özel told daily Nefes in remarks published on Aug. 12.
Parliament on Aug. 10 swiftly passed the Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration, which establishes the legal framework for the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, a process aimed at ending the decades-long conflict with the PKK.
Özel was among 467 lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill. The New Party’s 35 lawmakers supported the legislation, while 54 voted against it, and two did not take part in the vote.
“I don’t see this as ‘he [Erdoğan] won again’... If there is a winner, it is the country,” Özel said.
“I think those who are angry will see that this assumption is wrong as they realize that we will not surrender against Erdoğan. It would not have been right to give in to our anger on such an important issue.”
He also said New Party lawmakers voted for or against the bill in line with the views of voters in the provinces they represent.
“It is understandable for parties with nationalist sensitivities to vote no, but ... it does not seem principled for a social democratic party that prepared a comprehensive report on this issue in 1989 to oppose such a first step,” Özel said.
Özel left the Republican People’s Party (CHP) on July 24 along with 90 lawmakers to establish the New Party, reshaping the country’s opposition landscape.
His departure came two months after an Ankara court annulled the CHP’s 2023 leadership election over alleged irregularities, removing Özel as chair and reinstating former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
