Turkish main opposition leader shows ‘red card’ to President Erdoğan
During a rally, Turkish main opposition CHP leader Özel showed a “red card” to President Erdoğan, criticizing the hike in the pensions and minimum wage, which were lower than the annual inflation rate.
Duvar English
Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel on Jan. 9 attended the municipality’s opening ceremony in the southern Mersin province.
Özel previously announced that he had a surprise in the ceremony that turned into a rally.
“Starting from Mersin, I invite all pensioners, minimum wage earners, and the oppressed in Turkey to show a red card to this government. Pensioners, are we ready to keep a red card in your pockets from now on, to show these red cards to them as you see this hike (in salaries), this oppression?,” Özel said, showing “red card” to the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Turkey increased the minimum wage for 2025 by only 30 percent, to 22,104 Turkish liras ($624), remaining 14 percentage points below 2024’s annual inflation rate, which was announced at 44.38 percent.
“Tayyip Erdoğan says boycott high prices. I embrace this call and protest against those who make farmers and lemon producers miserable in agriculture, those who make shopkeepers close their shops without selling their products, when (real) inflation is 80 percent and their own TÜİK inflation is 44 percent,” he said.
He continued showing “red card” to the government on the next day on Jan. 10 during another opening ceremony in the Kemalpaşa district.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Spokesperson Ömer Çelik on Jan. 9 deemed Özel’s move a “gag”.
“So much for the political gag of the day. The CHP leader throws the ball away again,” Çelik said.
Following some criticisms over the move, Özel told journalist Şaban Sevinç he found it “strange that it is taken lightly.”
“We will distribute a red card to all pensioners. We will spread this action in waves. Some people underestimate this, but we have started a campaign to bring the elections in 2025. The main theme of all rallies will be red cards. On the back of the red cards, there will be a comparison of the purchasing power of pensions before and after Erdoğan,” he said.