Erdoğan to pay return visit to CHP following talks with Özel
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will reciprocate a visit to the Republican People's Party (CHP) headquarters after main opposition leader Özgür Özel visited the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) office recently.
The landmark rendezvous between the AKP and CHP leaders, the first since 2016, lasted around one-and-a-half hours, with Özel refraining from issuing any public statements following the visit.
Sources from the CHP characterized the meeting as positive and productive, revealing that the leaders exchanged gifts during their discussion. Joining them were CHP's Istanbul MP Namık Tan and Mustafa Elitaş, a parliamentary leader from the AKP.
AKP spokesperson Ömer Çelik conveyed Erdoğan's satisfaction with Özel's visit, announcing the president's intention to reciprocate the gesture at an appropriate time.
Erdoğan's agenda during the meeting included discussions on the AKP's long-pending proposal for a new constitution, which lacks the necessary parliamentary majority. The success of the initiative hinges on garnering support from at least 37 MPs from opposition parties to advance it to a referendum.
Conversely, Özel was expected to address various concerns during the meeting, including the need for "adherence to the existing constitution."
The CHP has been vocal about the non-implementation of Constitutional Court decisions, particularly regarding ex-MP Can Atalay, whose parliamentary status was revoked despite top court rulings.
Atalay, sentenced to 18 years in prison last year for his alleged role in organizing the 2013 Gezi Park protests, was elected to parliament from the Workers' Party of Türkiye (TİP) ranks during last May's elections while in prison.
Moreover, Özel reportedly highlighted economic challenges faced by retirees, advocating for his party's proposal to elevate the lowest pension to the level of the minimum wage of 17,002 Turkish Liras.
The closure of Taksim Square for May 1 celebrations and broader concerns regarding restrictions on demonstrations were also discussed during the meeting, according to local media.
Reports said the talks also covered the alleged large debts of municipalities which the CHP took over from the AKP-led ruling alliance in the March elections.
The encounter follows discussions between Erdoğan and Özel during a meeting convened within the precincts of the Turkish parliament last week, coinciding with the commemoration of National Sovereignty and Children's Day on April 23.
Özel hosts DEM Party co-chairs
Meanwhile, in the ongoing discourse surrounding the constitutional proposal, Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) co-chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan engaged in discussions with Özel on May 3.
The meeting followed Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş's discourse with DEM Party leaders as part of his series of visits to parliamentary parties for similar deliberations.
DEM Party has previously expressed cautious support for a new constitution, with Hatimoğulları underlining the necessity for change while urging vigilance against allowing discussions to serve as a "lifeline for the government."
Following their meeting with Kurtulmuş, she emphasized the party's aspiration for constitutional guarantees ensuring the rights of all peoples and beliefs in Türkiye on the foundation of equal citizenship rights, advocating for a social consensus across the widest spectrum.
"These constitutional discussions must, of course, evolve without eclipsing the country's most pressing and alarming issue," Hatimoğulları stated, drawing attention to the economic challenges.