Concerns are growing in Germany regarding the actions of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan against the country’s largest opposition party, the CHP, following recent escalations in Turkey.
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that Germany is closely monitoring the increasing pressure on the CHP and that the current actions are raising concerns about democracy and the rule of law in Turkey. They noted a perception that political competition is increasingly being conducted through the judiciary and that this is being discussed in bilateral conversations with the Turkish side.
Recent actions by the Turkish judiciary have targeted the CHP, including the detention of Istanbul’s former mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu since spring on corruption charges. On Monday, police raided the CHP’s headquarters in Istanbul.
Jürgen Hardt, the foreign policy spokesman for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) parliamentary group, expressed strong concerns about the state of Turkish democracy. He highlighted the potential for reconciliation with Kurdish communities, noting that ongoing challenges with the CHP risk undermining this progress. Hardt called for Turkey to return to a state of normalcy, arguing that the ongoing state of exception within the country hinders its potential.
Adis Ahmetovic, the foreign policy spokesman for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) parliamentary group, described the increasingly stringent measures against the CHP as a significant threat to Turkish democracy. He condemned the instrumentalization of the judiciary, the prohibition of party assemblies and the sealing off of the party’s headquarters in Istanbul as expressions of an authoritarian course. Ahmetovic added that these actions indicate a lack of interest in free and fair elections.
Max Lucks, the human rights policy spokesman for the Green Party parliamentary group, stated that Erdoğan has not only reshaped the Turkish state to his liking, but is now using a politicized judiciary to target the opposition. He characterized these actions as incompatible with democratic governance.
Differences of opinion have emerged regarding potential responses to developments in Turkey. Hardt cautioned against taking measures, arguing that it would be self-punishing for Turkey as investors withdraw, tourism declines and educated young people emigrate.
Conversely, the Greens criticized the approach, asserting that Erdoğan’s actions are enabled by a lack of stringent criticism from Germany and meaningful consequences. They specifically cited the German government’s approval of Eurofighter exports as indicative of questionable policy objectives.
