Turkish opposition seeks to challenge Erdogan at his own game
Source:al Monitor Date:05Jul2022
A series of nationalist outbursts by Turkey’s main opposition leader has fueled doubts about whether the opposition can relieve the country’s fraught foreign policy as Turkey heads to crucial elections.
A CHP source who requested anonymity told Al-Monitor that the party’s declared foreign policy principles remain unchanged and denied any compromises to keep the six-party partnership intact. “This rhetoric aims to turn up pressure on Erdogan in domestic politics. It will likely continue until the elections, in various tones. But there will be no essential change in our foreign policy vision,” the source said.
Nevertheless, this raises the prospect of the opposition vying with the ruling party on who is more nationalist. And amid Ankara’s normalization efforts with regional rivals, an opposition taking up the nationalist card, too, might not set Erdogan back as much as expected.