Asian Angle | Turkey election: Can a divided opposition wrest power from Erdogan after 20 years?
- Many Turkish citizens would like new policies to lift Turkey out of one of the most severe economic crises it has experienced in the last two decades
- There are significant differences in each party’s position, leading to questions of how much change can be expected even if Erdogan is defeated
Turkey’s main opposition parties have made a range of promises that include boosting the economy, democratising the political system, separating religion from state affairs and improving the country’s ties with the West.
However, it is becoming increasingly clear that there are significant differences in the positions of each party in the opposition coalition. Serious questions remain as to how much change can be expected, even if Erdogan is defeated.
A divided opposition
Turkey’s largest opposition party is the Republican People’s Party (the Turkish acronym for which is CHP). Formed by the founder of Turkey’s secular republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, this party remains loyal to the ideology of Turkish nationalism and is considered to be in the centre-left of politics.