During the First Meeting in 8 Years, What Transpired Between Erdogan and the Turkish Opposition Leader?

Following the local elections and their surprising results, and at a time when negotiations for drafting a new constitution for Turkiye are accelerating, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a historic meeting with Ozturk Ozil, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the largest opposition party in the country, amid keen attention in political and popular circles.

The meeting, the first between the president and the opposition leader in 8 years, took place at the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK party) in Ankara on May 2, 2024. It was attended by the Turkish President's adviser Mustafa Elitas and Ozil's adviser, former Turkish ambassador to Washington, Namik Tan.

Preceding the meeting, which lasted an hour and a half, there was wide debate about its implications and repercussions, especially as it comes after a major defeat for the AK party in local elections and a historic victory for the CHP.

Behind-the-scenes of the Meeting

The importance of this meeting lies in the fact that the CHP is currently the first in the list of parties for the first time in 47 years, while the AK party is second for the first time in 22 years.

In the group photo published by the media, an empty chair on Erdogan's left sparked significant controversy on social media platforms, while Ozil sat on a chair on the right side, with the Turkish president seated in the middle.

According to a statement issued by the AK party, empty seats and seating arrangements have no meaning. It was said that Ozil accepted the seating arrangement in the room and was happy to conduct the meeting at the AK party headquarters rather than at the presidential complex, as initially announced.

Local media reported that President Erdogan requested his special secretary, Hasan Dogan, to arrange a visit to the headquarters of the CHP as a response to Ozil's visit.

In return, Ozil expressed the CHP's happiness about Erdogan's upcoming visit.

After the meeting, the spokesman for the AK party Omer Celik stated that President Erdogan was pleased with the visit and said, "The atmosphere of the visit was positive. Our president emphasized that the dialogue must continue. The party will return the visit at the appropriate time."

Ozil, speaking to the opposition journalist Ismail Saymaz, said, "The visit took place in a positive atmosphere, and I am optimistic that it will lead to positive results. I will follow the developments in the coming days. We will negotiate and struggle together."

The next day, President Erdogan made a statement about the meeting, saying, "Ozil's visit after becoming the president of the CHP is a positive development between the government and the main opposition party."

"Unfortunately, such steps have not been taken in previous periods. With this step, we see that politics has entered a more flexible and lenient period in our country. I informed Ozil that I would return this visit at the earliest opportunity."

President Erdogan emphasized that "Turkiye and Turkish politics need this." 

"I want to start a process of softening and calming down politics in Turkiye," President Erdogan stated. 

The New Constitution and the Economy

Regarding the topics discussed in the meeting, the primary item on the agenda was the government's work on the new constitution, and naturally, the election results.

Concerning the new constitution, while President Erdogan expects support from the CHP, Ozil stipulated "full commitment to the current constitution," sparking curiosity about the future of these discussions.

Among other agendas left on President Erdogan's table by Ozil were issues related to the judiciary, human rights violations, the economy, and retirement pensions.

It is expected that the leader of the CHP will directly convey the proposal to "raise the minimum wage" to President Erdogan, a demand he has been making for months.

Additionally, issues such as the cost of living, retirement pensions, civil service employees, and teacher appointments were also among the items on the agenda.

According to sources from the AK party, President Erdogan opened the discussions by informing Ozil of Turkiye's need for a new constitution.

In a recent statement, journalist Abdulkadir Selvi, known for his close ties to President Erdogan, reported that the topic of drafting a new constitution was discussed during the meeting. Selvi revealed that Erdogan proposed a new constitution, but Ozil, in response, said, “We do not consider a new constitution to be a priority. Turkiye has more pressing and essential matters that need to be addressed first.”

He added that Ozil complained to President Erdogan about the non-application of the current constitution, claiming that "constitutional violations in the country are increasing day by day."

Selvi pointed out in an article for Hurriyet after the meeting that the mayor of Istanbul's metropolitan municipality, Ekrem Imamoglu, was not comfortable with the meeting.

A New Phase

Turkish journalist Mustafa Yilmaz commented on the meeting, saying, “There is no doubt that it was important. For the first time in 8 years, such negotiations and such a negotiating environment between the ruling party and the main opposition party took place.”

In his interview with Al-Estiklal, he said, “In a country like Turkiye, which enjoys a strategic position and faces historical decisions on both the internal and external fronts, the absence of a dialogue ground between the ruling party and the main opposition party for 8 years was a deficit in the country. The meeting could be the beginning of a new phase.”

"The most discussed issue in this meeting was the issue of the empty chair. But I think the real message was not conveyed through the empty chair, but through those who sat on the chairs. For example, the presence of Namik Tan as Ozgur Ozil's companion conveyed an important message, as he is one of the most effective Turkish diplomats, having served as Turkiye's ambassador to Washington and also as ambassador to Tel Aviv," Yilmaz added.

Yilmaz highlighted Tan's significance as an ambassador and representative for foreign policy during the AK party's rule, noting, “This could be read as encouraging support from the main opposition party for cooperation with the ruling party in foreign policy and taking steps directed towards the United States in foreign policy.”

He added, “Therefore, the most important message in this meeting is not the empty chair but the chair occupied by Namik Tan. This may mean that there may be an alliance between the AK party and the CHP in the coming period, not regarding the constitution, but regarding foreign policy with a focus on the United States.”

Yilmaz also provided information about the discussions on the new constitution, saying, "Discussions on the new constitution will not represent common ground. Both the ruling party and the opposition know that Turkiye is not in a suitable climate and environment for drafting a new constitution."

"The ruling party does not have sufficient energy to draft a new constitution. The ruling party sees constitutional discussions as an opportunity to change Turkiye's agenda. For this reason, the government wants to keep the issue of the new constitution on the agenda constantly, because talking about Gaza, the economy, inflation, and the high cost of living makes the ruling party lose."

Instead, the Turkish journalist believes that they "want to create an artificial agenda through constitutional discussions. The opposition is aware of this strategy, so constitutional discussions will not be a sustainable agenda for the ruling party."