There has been widespread anger in Turkey over opposition leader Ugur Ozer’s call on Hamas a terrorist organisation in a television interview on Saturday, a position he has taken before.
“Hamas is using balloons, drones and other means to rain bombs on innocent people in the middle of the night,” Ozer said.
He further argued that making these comments would subject him to criticism, but at the same time said, “You have to recognise that this is where the problem started.” [with Hamas]What Hamas did was an act of terrorism. Hamas bombed Jews in the middle of the night while they were sleeping.”
Kemal Kılıcidaroglu, leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), attends the swearing-in ceremony accompanied by Ozgur Ozer at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, June 2, 2023. (Photo by REUTERS/UMIT BEKTAS)
Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has chosen Ozgur Ozer as its new leader to succeed Kemal Kilicdaroglu in November 2023, The Associated Press reported shortly after the election that year.
Özer reportedly received 812 of the 1,366 votes cast by delegates, marking a significant leadership change following the party’s election defeat.
Türkiye’s Future Vision
Turkey’s opposition leader, Ozer, vowed after the election to “make people smile” in pursuit of a better political future, according to the Associated Press.
In the wake of Turkey’s economic difficulties and the aftermath of the February 2023 earthquake, the CHP missed an opportunity to defeat President Erdogan in elections in May 2023, leading to growing discontent within the party. Pre-election projections showed strong support for former party leader Kilicdaroglu, who was seen as the opposition’s best chance of toppling President Erdogan since 2003.
Maariv contributed to this article.
