The HDP's renewed audacity
The Istanbul rerun election fueled new developments in Turkish politics. There is an ongoing discussion on a range of issues including the presidential system and the prospect of new political parties. The newfound "self-confidence" of Kurdish nationalists deserves particular attention in this context. The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) takes credit for the Republican People's Party's (CHP) success in the March 31 and June 23 elections. As a matter of fact, it dates its influence back to the June 2018 elections.
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Istanbul poll results to stimulate change in AK Party politics
The Istanbul elections always have a significance beyond Istanbul. With its social diversity, economic dynamism and population of 16 million, Istanbul's political atmosphere affects all of Turkey.
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The mayoral race in Istanbul ended in democratic maturity as Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu finished at the top.
PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's call on the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) to remain neutral in the Istanbul rerun was the campaign season's final surprise.
Istanbul's mayoral candidates faced off in the first televised debate in 17 years – a distinguishing feature of the June 23 rerun election. Some viewers found the event less than exciting. Others were annoyed with the tightly enforced three-minute limit on statements and the ban on dialogue between the two candidates.
Both Istanbul mayoral candidates devised new campaign strategies and reoriented their election discourses to attract new voters in the critical elections rerun
Mainstream Western media has lost its credibility
The Western media's interest in Turkey has steadily increased, and this has two dimensions. First, they are establishing new media outlets in Turkey and becoming entrenched in the domestic market. Lately, the launch of a joint Turkish-language YouTube channel called +90 by the public international broadcasters of Germany, France, Britain and the U.S. has drawn attention. Another interesting development was the launch of a Turkish news website by the British online newspaper, The Independent.
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Istanbul mayoral campaigns heat up
The level of polemic in Istanbul's mayoral election campaign remained limited in the month of Ramadan. The general campaign discourse, though, is built on positive messages for both sides.
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Turkey has a very busy agenda ahead of itself for the month of June..
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unveiled his administration's new judicial reform package on Thursday.
A head of next month's rerun elections in Istanbul, mayoral candidates from both electoral alliances are seeking to further an affirmative agenda.
The Supreme Election Council (YSK) on Wednesday released its justified decision to annul the March 31 mayoral election in Istanbul. Between pages 200 and 212 of the 250-page reasoning, the cancellation of the election is justified on the basis of three key factors.
The most distinct feature of the upcoming June 23 re-election for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality is its function as a second round of elections.
On March 31, Turkey held local elections in a transparent manner that reflect its democratic maturity. The results showed that voters gave different messages to both the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Psychological edge is key to winning elections. Campaign strategists frequently attempt to promote morale among their supporters or dishearten their opponents. The same goes for the June 23 mayoral election in Istanbul.
The mayoral candidates of Turkey's major electoral alliances will compete once again on June 23. Provided that electoral volatility is low between rival camps, both contenders will primarily focus on maintaining their original level of popular support.
The key to success for the candidates in the neck-and-neck race in Istanbul is to keep their supporters motivated and excited, while keeping their campaigns positive
