Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a stark warning to main opposition CHP leader Özgür Özel on Feb. 26, telling him to “watch your step” or face consequences.
Erdoğan’s Accusation: ‘Know Your Place’
Speaking at the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) meeting in Ankara, Erdoğan criticized Özel’s remarks about the Turkish military, referring to him as “Commander-in-Chief” in a mocking tone.
“Are you not ashamed of what you have brought (Atatürk’s) party to? Instead of slandering the AKP, Mr. Özel should answer the allegations of fraud in the municipalities,” Erdoğan said.
Addressing Özel’s comments on the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), Erdoğan added:
“Watch your step—if you don’t, we know how to make you. You don’t have the authority or the right to criticize my army’s command. If you are a (member) of this nation, it is unbecoming of you to criticize them.”
Erdoğan also announced plans to file a lawsuit against Özel over his statements.
Özel’s Criticism of Military Dismissals
The dispute stems from the dismissal of five lieutenants who, during their Aug. 30 oath ceremony, drew their swords and chanted “We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk).”
Özel condemned their expulsion, revealing that Lieutenant General Tevfik Algan, who opposed the decision, was pressured into exile and later resigned in protest.
He singled out Land Forces Commander Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu and Naval Forces Commander Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, accusing them of orchestrating the dismissals.
“I know who put pressure on Algan… You are the men who have received the curse of your friends, not their blessings,” Özel stated.
CHP’s Response: ‘We Will Neither Bow Down Nor Back Down’
In response to Erdoğan’s threats, CHP Group Deputy Chair Ali Mahir Başarır fired back, rejecting what he called intimidation tactics.
“One day you are the AKP Chair, one day you are the President, one day you are the Commander-in-Chief. You cannot maintain your outdated power through politics of intimidation!” Başarır said on social media.
“We are not like appointed ministers trembling in front of you. We are here, the soldiers of the Republic; we will neither bow down nor back down!”
Erdoğan’s Stance on the Dismissed Soldiers
The controversy over the lieutenants began when Erdoğan criticized their pro-Atatürk stance, questioning, “To whom are you drawing these swords?”
The National Defense Ministry later dismissed three of their supervisors, citing “disciplinary violations.”
The incident has further escalated tensions between Erdoğan’s government and the CHP, with accusations of political interference in the military fueling the debate ahead of Turkey’s local elections.
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