The chronometer of Turkish politics undoubtedly speeds up the most in the main opposition lobbies. However, this acceleration is not always a decisive step towards the goal; sometimes it resembles an out-of-control vehicle drifting towards the cliff accompanied by the uncanny sounds coming from its gearbox.
The dream of “shifting up a gear” that those sitting in the seats at the CHP headquarters are talking about today is actually the manifestation of an underlying self-confidence and political arrogance. Özgür Özel and his team not only miscalculated the power of the engine that carries the party, but also forgot that the fuel of this vehicle is “the consent of the people”. Now they have started to say let's go down to the people.
Although we do not know whether “the nation will descend to the level of the CHP or the CHP will descend to the level of the nation”, today this is not just a comment, but the most concrete summary of the identity crisis the party has fallen into. The conciliatory understanding that was achieved with a thousand efforts during the Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu era, the embracing and dignified statesmanship identity that united different segments around the same table, and the self-confidence to bang his hand on the table when necessary, have today been replaced by Whatsapp messages, threats, short-term attempts to be popular and a disorganized understanding of governance.
The profile of a chairman who pushes aside the politeness and strategic depth of politics and whose horizon and perspective is confined to “you will see the day when we come to power in two years” is gnawing away not only at his own political future but also at a community that is the hope of millions.
One does not need to be an expert to see how deep the technical and moral dimensions of this drift in the party have gone. The gearbox of a political party is its organizational structure and adherence to its bylaws; its engine is how it stands on its ideological line.
While claiming to be shifting up a gear, the private administration is actually just making noise. While Kılıçdaroğlu's famous “Halil İbrahim Table” strategy succeeded in softening even the most rigid polarizations in Turkey, the current administration has overturned this table and replaced it with an aggressive finger-wagging style. He behaves not like a politician aspiring to govern the state, but like someone trying to come out on top in a neighborhood fight.
This aggressive attitude not only blocks democratic channels within the party, but also lays the foundation for an unreliable and uncertain future in the eyes of voters. In Kılıçdaroğlu's time, there was the spirit of the “long march”, which was perhaps quieter but much deeper and focused on convincing the public.
Now that spirit has been replaced by an interesting party. “With the resignation of 13 mayors in mid-2025, we are left with an incoherent and disorganized policy team, some of whose cadres have moved to other parties and are in constant conflict with the remaining ones.’ This disorganization transforms the goal of power from an ideal into a mere ambition to ”show off“, which has nothing to do with the CHP's mission.
No one knows what will happen as a result of the CHP's purge operation today, but what I see or hope for is that hopefully this will turn into a quick purge and the party will be restored to its original principles.
Finally, another issue that attracted our attention this week was that Yakup Karakoç, who carried out an attack on our President Kılıçdaroğlu in Ankara Çubuk in 2019, went to Kılıçdaroğlu to ask for forgiveness and apology.
Here, Kılıçdaroğlu's humility and humility confirm once again that we are following the right man. Hugging Karakoç, who said he regretted it, Kılıçdaroğlu said, “I am not a person who holds grudges. My character and the family I grew up in are not suitable for this. I love everything God has created. We all have faults, if you have come to make amends, you are welcome. We need to love and respect each other. Hatred is a concept unique to the devil. Why do we hold grudges? We will love each other.”.
This is what a statesman should look like.