The main opposition's PR problem
Turkey's main opposition, the Republican People's Party (CHP), has been caught up in the midst of a heated debate over the last few days. Rahmi Turan, a columnist for the Turkish language daily, Sözcü, alleged last week that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had hosted a senior CHP member at the Presidential Complex urging them to contest the race for CHP chairman.
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Opposition attempts to change Turkish agenda
Political polemics are back and as splendid as ever. Turkey's opposition figures are fixated on a range of speculations about the pension system, a tank track plant, city hospitals, early elections and a senior Republican People's Party (CHP) member visiting the presidential palace.
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While different factions within the main opposition continue to blame one another for once again emerging intra-party crisis, experts say point to a power struggle as the main cause of the problem in the Republican People's Party (CHP)
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Turkey's 30 metropolitan mayors in Ankara on Wednesday. Together with cabinet ministers and members of the Presidential Council for Local Government Policy, he listened to their proposals and instructed his team to take necessary steps to accomplish key goals.
The CHP's electoral alliance with the Good Party (İP) and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) scored victories in Istanbul and Ankara, breathing new life into Turkey's political opposition. Opposition figures are not yet over the anger that built up over many losing election cycles, but they have become cocky in light of recent wins.
Tensions between Turkey and the United States de-escalated thanks to a recent agreement on the proposed safe zone in Syria. If Washington sticks to the deal, joint steps could follow in Syria and Iraq.
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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Self-reflection and knowing your rival
The Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) poll defeat in the Istanbul mayoral election has accelerated political analyses for the coming period. Indeed, the fact that Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu could secure 54 percent of the vote is not just a twist of the alliance system, but also a result achieved by those aspiring to end the 17-year AK party rule through trial and error.
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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.
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.
There is no shortage of important items on Turkey's political agenda. Ahead of Sunday's Istanbul rerun, the Turkish people are focused on Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's death, the United Nations Human Rights Council report on the Jamal Khashoggi murder, the start of drilling efforts in the Eastern Mediterranean, the sentences being handed down in coup trials, the latest polling numbers, Republican People's Party (CHP) mayoral candidate Ekrem Imamoğlu's secret meeting with the moderator of the election debate and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan weighing in on the mayoral race.
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
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.
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.
Istanbul's June 23 local election is about two weeks away. On the occasion of the Ramadan Bayram, or Eid al-Fitr, election campaigns have moved out of Istanbul, with the mayoral candidates preferring to address fellow citizens in various Anatolian provinces.
Turkey has a very busy agenda ahead of itself for the month of June..
A head of next month's rerun elections in Istanbul, mayoral candidates from both electoral alliances are seeking to further an affirmative agenda.
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).
