Is Erdoğan playing defense on the campaign trail?
President Erdoğan's election campaign focuses on new rational reforms ranging from economic growth to multidimensional foreign policy, draining momentum away from his opponents
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Surprises abound ahead of Turkey's June 24 elections
urkey is counting down the days until the June 24 elections, which everyone seems to agree will be a turning point in the country's political history.
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With the oppositional bloc relying mostly on emotions and ideology rather than politics and visionary alliances, they have now found themselves leading toward the elections without a strategy
The main opposition party's leader is not aiming to win, as he knows that he can't be elected president; but what he does want is a majority in Parliament and a return to the old system. This goal shows the country how disengaged he really is
The most recent developments in Turkey indicate that the country is a battleground betweenWesternism and native/national politics.
The opposition parties will use all reasonable efforts in the upcoming elections because they know that there will be no room left for them in the emerging political arena unless they find a candidate to compete against President Erdoğan
Political parties face challenges and advantages ahead of elections
The upcoming elections are important for Turkey as the presidential system will become fully operational after the vote and the government would be fully focused on domestic and external problems, but there are challenges for both the Popular Alliance and the opposition parties
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SETA General Coordinator Professor Duran: Decision to hold snap elections preventive measure against future turbulence
Head of the Turkish think tank, SETA, Burhanettin Duran said that the AK Party decided to hold elections not because of an ongoing crisis or political turbulence, but rather to tackle any future turbulence. He added that Turkey's hand in dealing with adverse conditions will be strengthened after the polls
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Political analyst, Nebi Miş, said the AK Party and MHP's possible election alliance is a necessary tactical move with the new presidential system, while the main opposition CHP has failed to create a long-term policy to challenge the other bloc
Political parties' debates over their campaigns for the 2019 elections have already started, signaling that 2018 will be very challenging
Turkey will hold three elections in 2019: Local, parliamentary, and presidential. The local elections are planned for March 24, while the parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled for the same day. Nov. 3, 2019 is significant for the first application of the presidential system, which will be available once adjustment laws are approved in line with the constitutional changes voted for in the April 16 referendum.
Despite the push to present Meral Akşener, the chairwoman of the newly established İYİ Party, as an alternative candidate against President Erdoğan in the run up to the 2019 presidential elections, Professor Duran thinks this will not translate into results, as a true candidate for the opposition parties is yet to be identified
