CHP’s Günaydın Slams Government Silence on Venezuela, Accuses Erdoğan

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Group Chair Gökhan Günaydın has delivered a forceful critique of the Turkish government’s stance on the United States’ actions against Venezuela, while also accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of avoiding Turkey’s most pressing domestic problems. Speaking at a press conference held in Parliament, Günaydın framed recent developments as evidence of both foreign policy inconsistency and deepening social injustice at home.

Günaydın reacted strongly to what he described as Ankara’s reluctance to openly condemn Washington’s actions. He argued that while what is happening amounts to imperial coercion, the Turkish government avoids naming it as such. Referring to Erdoğan’s delayed reaction, Günaydın said the president remained silent for 48 hours before stating that Turkey was merely “monitoring the events in Venezuela.”

Using sharp rhetoric, Günaydın questioned this wording, asking:

“What kind of ‘events’ took place in Venezuela? Did a volcano erupt? Was there a plane crash? Who took Maduro from his bed? Unknown people? Or was it America’s imperial power?”

He added that the government’s inability to clearly identify the actor behind the incident undermines its credibility when it accuses the opposition of weakness in foreign policy.

“You Can’t Stay Silent, Then Lecture Us on Standing Tall”

Continuing his criticism, Günaydın mocked what he called attempts to shift responsibility onto the opposition, stating sarcastically that the government behaves “as if Özgür Özel personally took Maduro from his bed in the middle of the night.” According to Günaydın, this approach reflects a broader problem: an unwillingness to confront powerful actors on the international stage while aggressively targeting domestic political rivals.

He also criticized the Foreign Ministry’s cautious language, arguing that phrases such as “we are monitoring developments” trivialize serious geopolitical interventions and signal a lack of diplomatic resolve.

Focus on Party Membership, Not Public Hardship

Turning to Erdoğan’s recent group meeting speech, Günaydın said the president failed to address core social and economic issues, including the housing crisis, soaring rents, youth unemployment, and the daily struggles of retirees. Instead, he accused Erdoğan of focusing excessively on party membership numbers, comparing AK Party and CHP figures rather than confronting real-life problems.

Günaydın stated:

“Millions who cannot pay rent and are facing a housing crisis were not mentioned at all. Instead, we heard comparisons of AK Party and CHP membership numbers. Don’t you have any concern for the real problems of this country?”

He argued that framing political legitimacy around membership statistics is unbefitting of the presidency and disconnected from the realities faced by citizens.

“Membership Politics Is a Tragedy for the Presidency”

Günaydın went further, claiming that AK Party membership has become a de facto obligation for many citizens seeking employment, government contracts, or bureaucratic ease. By contrast, he said, CHP membership often comes with personal and professional costs.

Despite this imbalance, Günaydın noted that CHP gained approximately 500,000 new members in the first half of 2025, calling this growth politically meaningful. He emphasized that membership size does not automatically translate into electoral success, pointing to the March 31, 2024, local elections, where CHP won major metropolitan municipalities.

He asked pointedly why the ruling party lost cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Balıkesir, Manisa, and Denizli, stating that “doing politics through membership numbers is a sad state of affairs for the presidential office.”

Calls for Transparency on Municipal Spending

Addressing claims targeting CHP-run municipalities over concert expenditures, Günaydın reiterated his demand for full transparency across all parties. He reminded journalists that a parliamentary question he submitted on December 5, 2024, regarding municipal concert spending since 2004, remains unanswered.

He called on the government to disclose not only local authority expenditures but also the Ministry of Culture’s spending on virtual concerts during the pandemic, asking bluntly: “What are you hiding?”

Response to Erdoğan’s Remarks on International Advocacy

Günaydın also responded to Erdoğan’s criticism of politicians who seek international support, including references to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). He challenged the ruling party’s narrative, asking who had previously raised Turkey’s issues with European institutions and who had spent years lobbying abroad.

He asserted that today’s CHP operates nationwide and internationally, engaging in legitimate global solidarity to defend Turkey’s rights and interests rather than undermining them.

Retirees, Inflation, and Daily Survival

Economic hardship, particularly among retirees, featured prominently in Günaydın’s remarks. He criticized the government for effectively limiting 16.5 million retirees to a 6.85% six-month inflation adjustment, describing recent pension increases as insufficient and insulting.

Highlighting that the minimum pension rose from 16,881 TL to 18,938 TL, Günaydın calculated the increase as roughly 65–66 TL per day, saying:
“You are telling people the age of your father and grandfather to survive on 60–70 lira a day.”

He questioned whether decision-makers would accept such an allowance for their own children, framing the issue as a matter of moral responsibility rather than statistics.

Interview System and Youth Injustice

Günaydın also drew attention to interview-based recruitment practices, bringing three young graduates to the press conference as examples. He described how top-ranking candidates in written exams were eliminated during interviews and forced into precarious jobs despite academic success.

He condemned what he portrayed as nepotism and favoritism, contrasting these cases with relatives of senior officials allegedly securing public positions rapidly. According to Günaydın, these practices have become one of Turkey’s deepest wounds, undermining meritocracy and public trust.

A Broader Political Message

Concluding his remarks, Günaydın framed all these issues—foreign policy ambiguity, economic hardship, social injustice, and lack of transparency—as interconnected symptoms of governance failure. He argued that remaining silent in the face of global power while neglecting domestic suffering erodes both democracy and national dignity.