The presidential elections and the opposition

The 2014 presidential elections present(ed) an important opportunity for the opposition parties. If, their performance until now is any indicator, it seems they will squander this opportunity as well.

The answer to the crisis of presidential elections the opposition seems to be trapped in is hidden in the Turkish political landscape that became clearly visible since 2007. The key for the opposition to climb out of this crisis is in their capacity to change this political landscape.

That Turkey was going to face a tripartite campaign race during 2014-2015 has been known since the Constitutional Court ruling on the amendments to the electoral laws in 2012. The upcoming presidential elections signify the last chance for the opposition, which already relinquished the March 30 elections to the actors of Dec. 17, 2013, to prove that it can change.

In fact, the moment the March 30 elections came to mean more than local elections was the moment the first round of the presidential polls were completed. If the opposition continues to remain indifferent to the presidential race, there might even be no need for a second round. If that is the case, the outcome of the no-longer-necessary second tour will not be unlike the 2015 general elections.

Given the current circumstances, it would be expected that the opposition would turn the presidential race into an existential issue. On the contrary, we are witnessing the opposition gradually slipping away from constructive politics and evolving into an anti-political entity that prefers the streets to the political sphere. The tragic result is that opportunities such as the presidential race are being squandered. 

Neither the Republican People’s Party (CHP) nor the Nationalist...

Continue reading on: