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.

The Kurdish mothers' protest in Diyarbakır teaches valuable lessons to the opposition, which is busy playing the three monkeys and seeing no evil

Turkey's opposition parties see the replacement of three elected mayors with independent trustees as "part of the government's political game." They claim that this measure was intended to "drive a wedge between the Nation Alliance's components." In other words, the opposition says that the Turkish government sought to plant seeds of discord between the Republican People's Party (CHP), the Good Party (İP), and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

The CHP and the Good Party (İP) have a responsibility to help the HDP distance itself from terrorism – as opposed to blaming the government and encouraging the HDP to stick to its guns

There is an ongoing debate on Syrian refugees in Istanbul, who are being asked to return to the provinces where they were registered. The media extensively covered complaints by Syrians about the 30-day grace period.

Since the beginning of the S-400 crisis between Turkey and the U.S., many have focused on the state of relations between the two countries and the potential impact of this issue on the future of bilateral ties.

Three years have passed since that inauspicious coup plot. However, as much time elapses, the memory of our nation's children getting in the way of the traitors and making history will never fade.

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.

Building on its victory in the rerun Istanbul mayoral elections, Turkey's opposition just launched its campaign to reverse the country's transition to the presidential system. Their current effort is a prelude to a pending call for early elections.

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.

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.