Turkish opposition to nominate candidate for early elections

The Republican People’s Party of Turkey will today meet to determine its candidate to oppose President Erdogan in the coming presidential election.

The vote will be the first since a coup in 2016 threatened Erdogan’s rule that led to a state of emergency prolonged until now. Although recent protests have shown public dissent for its continuation, Erdogan has characteristically shown no desire to reduce his expanded powers.

Last week he announced that next November’s general and presidential elections would be moved forward to this June, a move likely aimed to catch his rivals off-guard. Although largely in disarray, the opposition recently acted in solidarity with lawmakers switching allegiances to maximise the number of eligible challengers to the ruling party on the ballot.

Calling a snap election is a sign that Erdogan may be worried about his public standing come next fall, likely due to potentially trying times ahead for Turkey’s economy. However, by pre-empting this fallout, Erdogan will likely defeat any candidate put forth by the opposition come June 24.