(The Washington Post) –With his growing authoritarianism, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seemed unassailable a few months ago when he decided to advance presidential and parliamentary elections by more than a year, to June 24. His heavy-handed tactics portended more hostility toward the West and repression at home if he won. But now there are welcome signs that Mr. Erdogan and his party are facing unexpected head winds.
A key turning point came recently when fractured opposition parties came together in an alliance, with the exception of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, and agreed to back a single presidential candidate in any second round against Mr. Erdogan. The alliance has been forged in part out of a determination to stop Mr. Erdogan’s push to consolidate power with authoritarian tactics.
Read the full article here.