Obviously, the Turkish president’s decision to highlight the opposition’s fragmentation and especially the intra-CHP power struggle was essential from the standpoint of party politics. That high level of fragmentation certainly supports the argument that the Turks cannot afford to let the opposition take the wheel. Moreover, the selection of mayoral candidates has reflected the three-way split of power between Chairperson Özgür Özel, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu and former Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu – which proved useful for Erdoğan.
'Civil war' inside CHP
At the same time, CHP-affiliated mayors have been complaining about the new party leadership’s attempts to kick out “Kurds, Alevis and Kılıçdaroğlu’s supporters.” That, too, makes it possible for the president to talk about a “civil war” inside the main opposition party. Kılıçdaroğlu recently said that he hasn’t retired from politics, adding that he was meeting regularly with a group of academics to discuss Türkiye’s and global problems – which suggests that he is waiting for the day after the municipal election. Does this mean that the former chairperson hasn’t completed his mission and would like to reclaim his seat under the right circumstances? Such questions not only widen the gap between one part of the CHP, which focuses on March 31, and another part that eagerly awaits April 1. They also create opportunities for President Erdoğan to bring up “Mr. Kemal” on occasion. By reminding everyone of the opposition’s most recent defeat, the president prepares his party for victory. The selection of mayoral candidates undermined the CHP’s claim to “change” and effectively became its soft underbelly. Let us recall that the opposition’s main weakness related to the selection of a joint presidential candidate in May 2023. This time around, a similar problem is accompanied by a debate over cooperation. Despite realizing that, the opposition cannot reverse its course.Whether the Green Left Party (YSP), informally known as the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), will field its own candidates and, if yes, what kind of candidates it will choose will be obviously significant for the metropolitan races in Istanbul, Ankara and elsewhere. Even more important is that communicating the services and vision of CHP-affiliated mayors has been put on the back burner. Indeed, the CHP and other opposition parties haven’t even published their election statements. To make matters worse, opposition candidates will attack each other on the campaign trail, aggravating the seeming “chaos” in their ranks.
