Turkey's 'native and national' opposition

Since last week, Turkey has been suffering one of the most intense heatwaves in a century.

In this hear, the thousands of people are taking part in shifts in the "justice march" of main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. They are struggling under the burning sun over their head and also the melting asphalt under their feet. 

CHP parliamentary spokesperson Özgür Özel asked the crowd a few days ago the question: "What do we want?" in a bid to boost morale. He was expecting an answer like "We want justice," but instead he got "We want water," which made all of them laugh. One 75-year-old party member has already lost his life in the march after suffering a heart attack and a member of parliament was taken to hospital on June 30 for the same reason.

Kılıçdaroğlu, who is 69 years old and who has no daily work-out habit, has been walking an average of 20 kilometers every day. "We are walking towards a wall," he told Hürriyet's Ahmet Hakan in an interview on the road. "But when you believe in your cause, you don't feel difficulties."

On July 2, the 18th day of the march from the capital Ankara to Istanbul - a journey of at least 450 km - physical constraints were only part of the difficulties.

President Tayyip Erdoğan had said a day before that the march was in parallel with the aim of Fethullah Gülen, implying that the CHP was acting in parallel with the U.S.-based Islamist preacher, a former close ally of Erdoğan who is now believed to have masterminded the July 15, 2016 military coup attempt against him. 

Erdoğan's remarks were actually a toned down version of his words about the march 10 days ago, in which he said Kılıçdaroğlu's actions were "no different than a coup attempt." The...