June 7 could be Erdo?an's first defeat

There is only one month left until the June 7 parliamentary elections in Turkey. This election will probably be the most critical one since the first free multiparty elections in Turkey in 1950, because President Tayyip Erdo?an has shifted its focus away from electing a new parliament and government to introducing a strong presidential system to replace the parliamentary system through a constitution change after the elections.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu has been carrying out the ruling Justice and Development Party?s (AK Parti) election campaign. A victory for the AKP of a simple majority of 276 seats in the 550-seat Turkish Parliament may not be enough to pass Erdo?an?s strong presidency-based constitution, which requires a two-thirds majority (367 seats). A three-fifths (330 seats) majority would be able to take the constitutional change to a referendum.

Erdo?an does not want to risk getting below 330 seats for two main reasons:
1- He believes that this is his chance to achieve a strong-presidency with executive power and fewer checks and balances.
2- If he cannot achieve this goal, it could mark the first defeat in his political life since he co-established the AK Parti in 2000.

For these two reasons, Erdo?an is carrying out a parallel campaign with that of Prime Minister Davuto?lu, in order to support the AK Parti. This is despite the clear statement in the constitution that the president must remain non-partisan. 

His campaign is not strictly in the form of the AK Parti election campaign. Instead it takes the form of ?opening ceremonies? for various facilities in cities across the country, or ?gatherings? with professional groups. During the speeches he makes in those ceremonies, he attacks the opposition parties...