Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel on April 8 intensified his campaign for by-elections, meeting with smaller left-wing parties and accusing the ruling bloc of resisting electoral pressure.
Özel held separate talks in Istanbul with Workers’ Party of Türkiye (TİP) leader Erkan Baş and Labor Party (EMEP) leader Seyit Aslan as part of a broader effort to build momentum for a vote. He had previously launched the round of contacts with an initial meeting with the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).
Following his meeting with the TİP delegation, Özel said he would raise the issue with Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş in coordination with 13 political parties.
"Mr. Numan needs to take responsibility, do what is necessary, and demonstrate a clear stance," he said. "We all have responsibilities before history, as well as before the nation."
After meeting Aslan, Özel renewed his criticism of the government’s economic policies and reiterated the need for political action.
"It is necessary to show the power of the people against this government, which is insensitive to the country's problems, which does not allow workers and minimum wage earners to make ends meet despite the shrinking wages of citizens, and which does not allow pensioners to hold on to life, along with an inflation that rapidly erodes wages, and which is both unprepared for the crisis and blind to the realities of Türkiye," said Özel.
"There are a series of steps that need to be taken to show the power of the people."
Özel’s push comes despite firm resistance from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who on April 6 dismissed calls for early elections and said the government remains focused on its own agenda.
The CHP leader has stepped up pressure for by-elections following a renewed wave of legal actions targeting municipalities run by his party. His latest calls followed the March 31 detention of Mustafa Bozbey and several family members on bribery charges, in what marks the latest move against CHP-governed cities.
Özel has also floated the possibility of holding early general elections alongside local votes, saying the party would consider “any kind of electoral compromise” if a nationwide ballot were called.
A by-election becomes mandatory if vacant seats reach 5 percent of parliament, or 30 lawmakers. Currently, eight seats are vacant due to deaths and resignations.
While the CHP could theoretically force a by-election by coordinating the resignation of at least 22 lawmakers, such a move would require approval from parliament’s General Assembly, where the ruling alliance holds a majority.
