, on Thursday, in a rare event that brought the leaders of the two largest parties in Turkey together for a face-to-face meeting for the first time in eight years.){kind=link}
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Özgür Özel, leader of the country’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), on Thursday, in a rare event that brought the leaders of the two largest parties in Turkey together for a face-to-face meeting for the first time in eight years.
The meeting, which lasted about an hour and a half, took place at the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and was concluded without any statements to the press.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of the recent local elections, which saw the CHP emerge victorious after 47 years, relegating the AKP to second place for the first time in 22 years.
Turkish media reported speculation indicating that the meeting focused on the government’s stubborn initiative to draft a new constitution — an issue for which Erdoğan is reportedly hoping for CHP support.
However, the outcome of the negotiations remains uncertain, as Özel has indicated in previous statements a firm “adherence to the existing constitution” as a prerequisite for any breakthrough.
Other issues that were likely raised during the meeting include economic challenges, pensions and human rights issues, which have been at the center of political discourse in Turkey in recent months.
Özel has previously called for the minimum pension to be aligned with the minimum wage in order to help alleviate the burden of the increasing cost of living crisis on pensioners.
In addition to the party leaders AKP Deputy Chairman Mustafa Elitaş and CHP lawmaker Namık Tan, a former ambassador to the US, also attended the meeting.
The layout of the meeting room attracted some attention as an empty chair next to Erdoğan stood out, which AKP representatives later clarified had no particular significance.
The fact that the meeting was held at AKP headquarters rather than the presidential palace was seen by some observers as a conciliatory approach by Erdoğan, as the complex, which the president has used since 2014 and which has been criticized for its excessive expenses, has long been seen by the opposition as an illegitimate demonstration of authoritarian power.
No new decisions or agreements were announced after the meeting, and both leaders left without addressing the press.
In the local elections on March 31, the CHP emerged as the leading party for the first time in 47 years, securing 37.7 percent of the vote, maintaining control of key cities and securing substantial gains in other regions, while Erdoğan’s AKP, for the first time in 22 years, came in second, garnering only 35.4 percent of the vote.
Turkey currently has a constitution that was drafted in the aftermath of a military coup in 1980. The 1982 Constitution has undergone many amendments but is still criticized for being far from democratic and liberal.
Over the past several months, Erdoğan and his AKP officials have talked about the need for a new constitution for Turkey; however, critics say Erdoğan is far from allowing the people to enjoy even the freedoms granted by the current constitution. They argue that Erdoğan’s push for a new constitution could be aimed at diverting attention from more pressing socio-economic issues and consolidating power under the guise of reform.
