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Türkiye’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has taken its domestic struggle beyond national borders. Under the banner “The Nation Protects Its Will,” the party held its first overseas rally in Brussels, following the dismissal and detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
The rally was presented as an extension of CHP’s ongoing campaign defending democratic legitimacy and local representation. Addressing supporters, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel declared, “We came here to stand with Imamoglu, and with former Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag,” in a message of solidarity that sought to bridge domestic opposition causes and international audiences.
Promising that a CHP government would pursue full European Union membership, Ozel urged Turkish youth living across Europe not to retreat from political engagement. “Stay involved,” he said, “and take part in shaping the future of your country.”
The event gathered wide symbolic support from across Europe’s social democratic and progressive circles. The mayors of Rome, Amsterdam, Budapest, Thessaloniki, Timisoara, and Cologne sent solidarity messages that were read aloud on stage. Brussels Mayor Philippe Close appeared via video, expressing direct support: “We are with you, Ekrem.”
The move comes at a critical moment of geopolitical realignment and represents a calculated bet on Europe as Türkiye's governing party deepens its ties with Washington.
The timing of this European outreach carries particular significance as Türkiye's political landscape recalibrates around shifting international dynamics. The tension between the values and working methods championed by U.S. President Donald Trump and those of EU leaders and the European establishment has become evident across multiple flashpoints, from tariff disputes to the Ukraine crisis.
Under the Imamoglu-Ozel leadership, the CHP is positioning itself within this new order. The effort represents an image-making exercise with a clear logic: if President Erdogan is doing business with President Trump, the opposition will cultivate Europe.
Ozel made this explicit in his Brussels speech: "The AK Party government has now started working for Trump. It searches for the legitimacy it cannot find in the country, in Europe, or in the world at the doors of the White House, in the Oval Office."
While partly reactive in nature to the reset in U.S.-Türkiye relations orchestrated through Trump-Erdogan "strong leader" diplomacy, the strategy has historical roots and depth.
Imamoglu's European relationship-building dates back to his first term as Istanbul mayor. The party leadership has been promoting this cooperation to the upper end, which began at the municipal level, as partnerships with social democratic parties for some time.
"The West is not just a direction; it is a matter of understanding," Ozel declared. "As you go West, palaces disappear; there are historical palaces, but the country is governed from more modest places. I swear that under the CHP rule, we will meet in the European Union. We will remove the borders."
Beyond immediate political calculations, Ozel also pledged full European Union membership if his party comes to power, addressing young Turks in Europe and urging them not to stay away from politics.
As the party representing much of Türkiye's secular vote, the CHP completes this alignment with Europe ideologically as well. Among the voters it represents, views toward the EU are relatively more positive.
In Türkiye, voters view politicians receiving external support with suspicion, regardless of their background, and politicians frequently accuse each other in this regard. Anticipating the familiar charge of being unpatriotic, Ozel prepared his response beforehand.
"In the past, (conservative) students faced a headscarf issue, and took the case to the European Court of Human Rights. Back then, it was a struggle for rights. But when you filed a case against Türkiye, complaining about our country abroad was not seen as wrong. When a closure case was brought against the AK Party, traveling to world capitals with a delegation to lobby was not considered complaining about our country. What I am doing now is no different."
With these words, he simultaneously sought support for his domestic political case in the international arena, turning past government behavior into justification for the current opposition strategy.
Türkiye-Europe dual citizens or European citizens of Turkish origins, particularly those in Germany, are known for their high percentage support for the ruling AK Party in the recent elections.
In the past, the German side poured harsh criticism and pressure on its Turkish dual citizens, while on the Türkiye side, the opposition voters, especially on social media, openly opposed dual citizens voting despite living abroad.
The European offensive of the CHP leadership changes that acceptance. Ozel's new strategy, particularly through the promises he made to citizens at the Brussels rally, aims to mobilize them and increase their participation with a higher turnout. The Brussels rally also serves to open a different front by increasing secular votes integrated into the European living system.
The decades-old Anatolian diaspora, holding dual citizenship, represents a demographic the opposition has largely written off. By bringing the campaign to Europe's capitals, the CHP signals it will no longer cede this territory without a fight, betting that a new generation of integrated European Turks might break with their parents' voting patterns.
A 2014 legal change in Türkiye granted Turkish citizens living abroad the right to vote in their country of residence, fundamentally transforming the electoral landscape. Previously, expatriates had to return to Türkiye and could only cast ballots at polling stations set up at designated customs gates.
Turkish citizens living abroad first exercised this right to vote in their country of residence during the August 2014 presidential election.
The political significance of overseas campaigning became starkly apparent in 2017 when the Netherlands intervened to prevent Turkish government ministers from meeting with Turkish-origin voters in the Netherlands, even at the cost of a diplomatic crisis. Germany followed suit shortly after.
The fact that the CHP has now secured permissions for its rallies signals preferences on the European side as well.
3 min read
