Fatih Altaylı’s warning to Özgür Özel regarding Kılıçdaroğlu: 'Voter reaction will be reflected at the ballot box'

Journalist Fatih Altaylı, in his column titled “Özgür Özel has failed to grasp the scale of the hatred,” evaluated the attitude of Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel toward Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

Altaylı argued that the “respectful and polite” demeanor Özel displays when encountering Kılıçdaroğlu is not received positively by opposition voters. In his writing, he claimed that the reaction toward Kılıçdaroğlu within the opposition base is much stronger than Özel realizes.

Using the term “trustee” for Kılıçdaroğlu, Altaylı stated that voters are not concerned with personal courtesy or past working relationships during this process. According to Altaylı, Özel appearing respectful toward Kılıçdaroğlu could reinforce the perception of a “fake political game” among opposition voters.

Altaylı also drew attention to the sense of distrust among opposition voters in his column. Noting that the defection of certain figures from the CHP or opposition circles to the ruling party has already caused a serious rift among voters, Altaylı argued that, for this reason, appearances alongside Kılıçdaroğlu could carry a political cost.

In his article, Altaylı also touched upon names such as Zeydan Karalar and Vahap Seçer, claiming that photographs taken alongside Kılıçdaroğlu could negatively affect the public perception of these figures. Altaylı used the expression, “That photograph taints them as well.”