Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli hosted Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu at his office in Parliament for about 15 minutes on Tuesday.
The brief encounter, however, was highly symbolic, as a similarly short and cordial conversation between Bahçeli and lawmakers from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) two years ago informally set in motion the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
It remains unclear whether Bahçeli is seeking a similar rapprochement, but Kılıçdaroğlu described the meeting afterward as one between “two old friends,” while his party said in a statement that he thanked Bahçeli for the terror-free Türkiye initiative. The two men were indeed classmates at university, but their political views could hardly be further apart. Bahçeli is a nationalist and an ally of the government, while Kılıçdaroğlu advocates a center-left, social democratic approach.
Such meetings are extremely rare in Türkiye’s deeply polarized political climate. The last similar encounter to generate widespread media interest was a meeting between then-CHP leader Özgür Özel and Erdoğan two years ago. Erdoğan himself signaled openness to more such meetings while addressing a ceremony marking the opening of the new legislative year in Parliament earlier this month. He described his vision as a “grand Türkiye consensus.”
“Consensus on a terror-free Türkiye has upset the country’s foes. (The terror-free Türkiye initiative) is already having a deterrent effect on Türkiye’s foes and is empowering the country,” Erdoğan said.
The president also urged political parties to strengthen the “home front” amid regional tensions and work toward a “grand Türkiye consensus.”
“The era of opposition solely based on opposing what the government does is over. It is a grave mistake to reduce politics to antagonizing rivals and waging a war of attrition instead of making it a race to provide the best public services. Regional and global developments require us to pursue a new style of politics,” Erdoğan told Parliament, drawing sustained applause from lawmakers from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
The main opposition New Party (YP) left Parliament’s General Assembly hall as Erdoğan took the floor.
“We have two options now: We will either continue with the old way of politics, focusing on polarization, or build a new politics based on finding common ground and reaching consensus amid competition,” he said.
“If we are to make Türkiye great and strong again, if we are to seize historic opportunities, we have to adapt to this paradigm shift together and without losing more time,” he added.
Erdoğan said the government did not expect all political parties to fully align or share the same views.
“Different views are certainly a source of strength for Türkiye and Turkish democracy. But all political parties should prioritize Türkiye. Every party should draw strength from its own dynamics and grassroots to pursue ‘Türkiye-oriented politics,’” he said.
“Reconciliation and tolerance should replace conflict and polarization. We have to find common ground on matters essential to every member of our nation. This is what we call the ‘grand Türkiye consensus,’” Erdoğan added.
Kılıçdaroğlu, who led the CHP until late 2023, returned to the party’s helm after his successor, Özgür Özel, was ousted following a court ruling related to allegations that votes were bought by his associates in an intra-party election that had ended Kılıçdaroğlu’s leadership three years earlier.
Credited with opening the party to a broader cross-section of society, Kılıçdaroğlu signaled another shift during his new tenure, vowing to “clean up” corruption associated with the Özel era.
Kılıçdaroğlu had previously taken a more hard-line stance toward the government and the MHP, but his recent statements on a range of issues have increasingly aligned with positions held by his political opponents. His acknowledgment that he had returned to the post in compliance with the court ruling further alienated him from Özel’s supporters, who went on to establish the New Party (YP) this summer, positioning it as the main opposition force.
Although Kılıçdaroğlu’s CHP remains as critical of the government and other parties as the YP, it is more closely aligned with the government on foreign policy and security issues.