The spokesman of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Ömer Çelik, said on his Instagram account that he condemns the statements of the leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Özgür Özel, in which he describes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a dictator.
In his post, Çelik emphasized that Özel's rhetoric towards the Turkish president is similar to that of the far-right in Europe, noting that “the CHP leader has become an interpreter of European fascists.“
“It is tragic that a person who has not even become a local leader speaks about the governance of our president“, Celik added.
The AKP spokesman's publication comes against the backdrop of the AKP's multi-thousand-strong rally in Izmir last night in support of the arrested Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. During the demonstration, Özel gave a speech in which he addressed Erdogan, stating that the opposition “is not afraid and will not surrender to oppression and tyranny“, stressing that “Imamoglu's arrest on March 19 is real proof that Erdogan is afraid of losing a possible election“.