Why Özgür Özel is Demanding an Immediate “By-Election”

In a high-stakes diplomatic visit to the DEM Party headquarters, CHP Leader Özgür Özel has effectively declared the start of a new electoral countdown. Following his meeting with Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan, Özel bypassed standard pleasantries to issue a constitutional ultimatum: the “By-Election” (Ara Seçim) must happen now.

With 8 parliamentary seats currently vacant—including strategic battlegrounds in Istanbul’s 1st and 3rd districts—Özel is daring the AK Party to a localized litmus test of public sentiment. Beyond the ballot box, the CHP leader issued a “transparency challenge” that targets the very top of the state hierarchy, demanding a retroactive, public audit of assets for every major political figure, including President Erdoğan.

The “Asset Transparency” Ultimatum

Özel’s most provocative stance during the visit was his call for a Political Ethics Law. He didn’t just suggest it; he first offered his own finances and those of Ekrem İmamoğlu for inspection. “Let all our assets be opened,” Özel challenged, insisting that from the President to the newest MP, the “source of wealth” must be scrutinized by the public. This move is a calculated strike at the AK Party and MHP’s repeated refusal to advance transparency legislation, positioning the CHP as the party of “clean hands” heading into 2026.

The Bursa “Coup” and the Kayyum Crisis

The dialogue also pivoted sharply to the recent operations against the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality. Özel characterized the arrests of Mustafa Bozbey’s inner circle as a “political coup,” alleging the timing was designed to overshadow national morale.

Furthermore, the CHP leader confirmed he will seek an urgent meeting with Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş to address the Can Atalay impasse and the “Terror-Free Turkey” commission report. Özel’s primary grievance? The report explicitly calls for ending the Kayyum (trustee) system, yet the government continues to ignore its own findings.