The Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been in power for more than two decades. Although no one can argue that the party’s performance was not illustrious in the early periods of its rule, it had begun to decline in the second half of the second decade for many reasons and considerations, including the absence of a strong competitor, and the lack of constructive opposition. However, the AKP remained in power until today.
Perhaps one of the most prominent calculations which allowed it to do so is its ability to attract voices from various segments outside its fold or core strength. It remained nationally, ethnically, and ideologically diverse. This equation contributed to the party remaining in power unilaterally until 2015, when it became clear at that time that the party was changing and that it had begun to lose this diversity during the second decade of its rule, which forced it to ally with the National Movement Party to bridge the gap.
Today’s main opposition is adopting the same strategy of trying to unseat the AKP. In its quest to widen the circle of votes, the main opposition, with its secular-left orientation, allied itself with the parties of the right and the centre, in addition to the conservative and liberal organisation with an Islamic orientation. It also entered into an undeclared alliance with the Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, which is accused of supporting the PKK. But the question remains: will this strategy work on May 14th?
[by Ali Bakeer in Arabi21]
Türkiye is currently experiencing an intense race for election, which will deepen with the approach of May 14. In an unprecedentedly polarised political and social environment, it is difficult to find a clear common denominator between the two main coalitions (the ruling and the opposition), except for one similar and interesting point in the electoral discourse of both parties, which is that both of them show excessive confidence in their ability to win.
For his part, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is in the toughest electoral competition ever in the two decades since he came to power, is keen to show very high spirits. This is even though he faces for the first time an alliance of 6 opposition parties, including two main parties along with another major party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party. This is at a time when his government is struggling to deal with the major inflation crisis and the implications of the devastating February 6 earthquake. The opposition parties in general and the six-party alliance in particular treat the election result as dependent on their internal discussions about power-sharing which sometimes dominate debates about the elections itself. Nevertheless, the opposition in general still takes Erdoğan seriously as an adversary not to be underestimated.
Although the six-party alliance has so far presented a partially cohesive front, and Kilicdaroglu succeeded in striking an electoral deal under the table with the Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), his efforts to persuade the leader of the opposition “Balad” party, Muharrem Ince, to withdraw from the presidential race in his favour reveals his concern about the possibility of losing.
[by Mohammad Alloush in Aljazeera]
Compiled and translated by Faizul Haque