Turkey’s opposition alliance, made up of six parties from across the political spectrum, aims to undo President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 20-year rule of centralised and religiously conservative governance. The alliance, led by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has pledged to restore democracy to the country by ending the “one-man regime” introduced by Erdogan and reverting to a parliamentary system with a prime minister and ministry oversight. The president would be limited to a single seven-year term.
Should the opposition win the parliamentary and presidential vote on May 14, it will also release jailed opposition figures and restore independent courts, freedom of expression, and media independence. The alliance aims to appeal to religiously conservative women who wear headscarves, promising to legalise their right to do so in public. It also pledges to defend the rights of all women and respect LGBTQ identities, in contrast to Erdogan’s derogatory views on the LGBTQ community.
The opposition has vowed to return to economic orthodoxy and break from Erdogan’s “Turkish economy model,” which led to inflation rates reaching 85% last year. However, restoring prosperity will require rebuilding state institutions that eroded during Erdogan’s centralised rule. The alliance hopes to reconcile with Turkey’s NATO allies and end the war in Ukraine through a balanced dialogue with Russia while pushing for full EU membership. The priority is reconciling with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to facilitate the voluntary return of 3.7 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey.
