CHP Leader Özel’s Bayram Calls to Turkish Party Leaders – Erdoğan Not Included

CHP leader Özgür Özel engaged in a series of phone calls with Turkish political leaders to extend Ramadan Bayram greetings, pointedly excluding President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from the outreach, according to reports confirmed on Friday.

Özel spoke with Numan Kurtulmuş, the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, as well as the co-leaders of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Parti), Tuncer Bakırhan and Tülay Hatimoğulları. He also contacted Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Müsavat Dervişoğlu, head of the Good Party (İYİ Parti) and Ali Babacan, leader of the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA).

Further calls were made to Mahmut Arıkan of the Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi), Ahmet Davutoğlu of the Future Party (Gelecek Partisi), Erkan Baş of the Labor Party (TİP), and Fatih Erbakan of the Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah Partisi). The outreach also included leaders from the Democratic Party, the Democratic Left Party, the Labor Party, the Socialist Party, the Victory Party, the Great Unity Party, and the Independent Turkey Party.

The omission of President Erdoğan from Özel’s list of calls has drawn attention. The decision comes after a period of heightened political activity in the Turkish parliament, including an extraordinary session convened to address the situation in Gaza. During that session on August 29, 2025, Bahçeli and Özel were observed shaking hands, a moment noted by Turkish media outlets including Haberler and Ensonhaber. Kurtulmuş, presiding over the session, called for an Israeli ceasefire and the rebuilding of Gaza.

The parliamentary session focused on Israel’s actions in Gaza and the resulting humanitarian crisis, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan providing information to the assembly regarding alleged policies of genocide, famine, and forced displacement. The handshake between Bahçeli and Özel occurred prior to the commencement of the session, with Özel also greeting members of the MHP parliamentary group.

The timing of Özel’s Bayram calls, and the exclusion of the President, occurs as Turkey continues to navigate a complex regional landscape and domestic political dynamics. No immediate response from the Presidency regarding Özel’s outreach has been publicly released.