Identity politics or national identity debate?
Turkey never ceases to debate 'identity politics' around elections. In previous elections, political parties tapped into distinctions between religious and secular citizens, Sunnis and Alevis, or Turks and Kurds, in open or veiled manners, to influence voters.
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Erdoğan's candidacy, Kılıçdaroğlu's identity
To ensure that the 2023 election competition does not lead to the alienation of any religious and ethnic groups or sects, all parties, politicians and opinion leaders in Turkey must make a special effort
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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has harshly criticized the Gezi Park riots in his recent public speeches, as he asked Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairperson, whether the main opposition leader would contest the presidential election.
'The opposition has a democratic right to criticize the Turkish government’s refugee policy. That right, however, should be exercised without poisoning the country’s democratic culture'
Certain actors in the Turkish opposition lacking the courage to defend their past policies is another indicator of how confused the bloc is
It has become increasingly clear what the opposition’s 'table for six' will look like as the 2023 election approaches. In recent weeks, the Felicity Party (SP) had proposed an 'alliance within the alliance' and the Republican People’s Party (CHP) has presented eight different scenarios.
Tough questions facing opposition bloc in Turkey
The opposition parties in Turkey are having trouble preparing a proper strategy for their road to the upcoming elections
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‘What a table it was indeed’
Recent gatherings around two tables, one in Ankara and the other in Moscow, bring to mind a line from a famous Turkish poem: 'What a table it was indeed'
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The leaders of Turkey’s six opposition parties will hold their first roundtable meeting on Feb. 12. Having agreed to the need for an "augmented" parliamentary system, they had been facing criticism over their seeming fragmentation and lack of a common political agenda.
The main opposition's possible ambitious policy proposal on the Kurdish question would mean direct disunity among the opposition bloc's parties
The Turkish opposition’s waywardness alarms its mentors, who warn that the election is 'theirs to lose.'
The leaders of DEVA and the GP have already taken some steps. They are attempting to be more active and to generate some level of legitimacy for their movements.
Considering the terrorism issue and political fronts, it wouldn't be a surprise if conservative Kurds voted for the People's Alliance
The opposition will not stop demanding an early election in 2022, while the current government will want to wait until the country's new economic model starts yielding results.
The main opposition leader is attempting to make intra-party and alliance changes. However, it seems he will need more than just that
CHP’s most recent actions regarding national security and sovereignty fuel mounting criticism.
With Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's recent moves, the IP's agenda to become Turkey’s top center-right party is unlikely to be achieved
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Good Party (IP) recently signaled that they could walk back on their rapprochement with the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).
The year 2023 has symbolic significance for the people of Turkey. The most crucial questions are where have we reached after 100 years and what the next century holds for us.
As Turkey prepares to launch a new military operation against YPG militants in northern Syria, the CHP leadership will find it difficult to explain why it opposed the authorization bill.
By all indications, 2022 will be a year full of intense arguments and discussions.
