A generational change is looming in Turkish politics
New names for the post-Erdogan era signify a generational change in Turkish politics.
Turks were outraged a week ago after hearing that an Istanbul court sentenced Canan Kaftancioglu — the chairwoman of the Istanbul branch of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) — to some nine years in prison for tweets she shared seven years ago criticizing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government.
She was considered the mastermind behind Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s stunning victory against Erdogan’s candidate in the rerun elections on June 23.
Imamoglu had gained more than 800,000 votes compared with the measly 13,000 ballots in the first run. His uncontestable second win in the course of three months was primarily attributed to the efficient and well-organized CHP.
The ridiculous verdict against Kaftancioglu is being interpreted as Erdogan's political revenge and has further diminished the credibility of the Turkish judiciary, which lost its independence long ago and became subservient to the whims of Erdogan, the autocratic president of Turkey.
