Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is currently in power while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) is only formally in power, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said on April 15, while addressing his party’s parliamentary group.

“We have moral superiority. We have psychological superiority. The Republican People's Party is now in power!” he declared, adding: “The AK Party is formally in power, but is now in opposition in the streets and in conscience!”

“We are marching with larger crowds every day. We will take our [presidential] candidate [Ekrem Imamoglu out of prison], bring up the ballot box and come to power!” asserted Ozel.

Tweet: @eczozgurozel (Eczaci/Pharmacist Ozgur Ozel) shared the hot highlights of his speech on X.

Is politics simply about perceptions?

Under normal conditions, generating some excitement among the crowds and triggering a related motion might have some meaning in political propaganda. However, talking about overthrowing the Erdogan regime via the ballot box is plainly an insult to the intelligence of voters.

The problem is that the CHP establishment does not do this kind of thing for the sake of political propaganda. They convince and re-convince themselves of the illusion that an election day win is possible.

Then, election day comes around, Erdogan announces that he attracted 52% of the vote and the CHP goes back to focusing on calling for an early poll. It is a well-trodden cycle of doom.

Moving out of the box means jail

Acknowledging the realities referred to here requires out-of-the-box thinking and action. It requires leaving comfort zones. Delivering nonsensical speeches will not do the job.

Of course, as we have seen with Imamoglu, whoever attempts to move out of the box ends up in jail.

If Erdogan finds he cannot deal with Ozel politically, Erdogan will seek his arrest, Ozel, a former pharmacist, himself told British daily The Guardian on April 11 in an interview.

As things stand, however, Ozel’s activities as the top opposition party chairman serve the regime well. They indicate to the world that Turkey is not a pure dictatorship. Specious is the word we are looking for here.

“There are very few examples in the world of how to push back an authoritarian populist leader with peaceful demonstrations and civil protest,” Ozel told the Financial Times on April 15, without specifying any of the so-called examples in question.

Not made of the right stuff? Just resign

Unfortunately, for Ozel, there are no such examples. But perhaps, lacking the right stuff as he does, referring to figments of the imagination is a help as he goes about his business playing the opposition leader on a playing field with boundaries set by the regime.

If Ozel and the rest of the CHP establishment are not able to develop a meaningful strategy, perhaps they should just resign. There is no need for everyone to lose time as they go through the motions.

Twenty three years have passed since 2002 and Erdogan’s taking of the helm. Other opposition leaders, Deniz Baykal and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, have come and gone. The country has collapsed. It has fallen into the abyss, but it seems determined to fall further. It is drilling into the magma.

Creating illusions for the masses serves the designs of the regime. If Turkey had a real opposition, it would tell the people the truth of where they stand. It would hold debates on what really can be done to reclaim and save the nation. It would cease playing the opposition as if it were a performing circus.

CHP deputy mayor detained

April 15 brought local media reports suggesting that Fidan Gul, a deputy mayor of Beykoz district in Istanbul, has been detained.

According to the Erdogan media, Imamoglu promoted Gul during his mayorship of Beylikduzu district between 2014 and 2019.

Imamoglu was clearly jailed on political orders. Regime judicial officials are working day by day on concocting “reasoning” for the move that they can enter into the court process. Imamoglu’s past is under the microscope.

Seizing of municipalities

Since the last local elections, held in March 2024, 13 municipalities have been seized by the government. Ten were held by the main Kurdish party DEM, while three were held by the CHP.

(See the full list here.)

The government has also dismissed the CHP mayors of Besiktas, Beykoz and Beylikduzu districts in Istanbul along with Imamoglu. However, in relation to these arrests, it did not seize the municipalities concerned.

The district parliaments in Istanbul, Besiktas and Beylikduzu elected new mayors in line with Turkish law.

The Beykoz mayor was dismissed on March 4, but the interior ministry has not appointed a trustee and the district parliament has yet to elect a new mayor.

In addition to municipalities, the government has seized dozens of companies owned by Imamoglu and associates.