Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader, Sila Incirli, strongly criticised the north’s ruling coalition over the handling of the cost-of-living issue and accusing it of governing through imposition.
In a video statement published on social media on Friday, Incirli said recent developments were “not an ordinary political disagreement” but “a clear example of a government trying to rule the country against its people, without listening to its people, ignoring stakeholders and enforcing the law”.
Her remarks followed the signing of a new financial protocol in Ankara between Turkey and the north.
She accused the ruling coalition of attempting to address a budget deficit by targeting workers’ incomes, stating that “the government aims to close the deficit it created by reducing workers’ salaries”.
According to Incirli, the administration is advancing legal changes through the “parliament” by force, measures she said would reduce purchasing power and deepen economic contraction.
The dispute centres on proposed changes to the cost-of-living allowance for public sector workers, which has triggered protests, strikes and political confrontation in recent days.
Incirli framed the issue as extending beyond economics, describing it as “a matter of democracy, respect for the will of the people and good governance”.
She criticised what she described as a breakdown in dialogue, saying the government had acted with “incomprehensible stubbornness” and had chosen imposition over negotiation.
“Their goal was not to produce solutions, but to impose. It was a matter of ordering, not negotiating,” she said.
Incirli also alleged that pressure had been exerted during the process, claiming that activists were targeted, public sector employees were placed under strain and wider social unrest had been created.
She said the “police force” had been drawn into political tension and that recent events had contributed to “serious insecurity in society”.
She added that “they deliberately created this chaos” and described the administration as “a government so weak that it is based on chaos”.
The party leader called for the proposed legislation to be returned to committee for further discussion, stating that “the right thing to do is for the bill to go back to the competent committee”.
She added that “this society cannot be silenced by coercion”.
Her intervention comes amid heightened political and economic tensions in the north following the signing of a new financial protocol between Turkey and the north valued at 25 billion Turkish lira, approximately 480 million euros.
Click here to change your cookie preferences