Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists he is faced with an existential threat from domestic and foreign enemies who want to topple him, and appears determined to ratchet up his vindictive rhetoric against his perceived enemies and detractors while critical local elections to be held on March 30 near.

His efforts may not be totally off the mark, either, with some analysts maintaining that his grassroots supporters are not all that concerned with the corruption allegations against members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), as well as Erdogan’s son Bilal.

Erdogan claims the massive corruption scandal that erupted Dec. 17, implicating four of his ministers — who have since been forced to resign or have been dismissed — is a coup attempt against his government by nonmilitary means. While others talk about the “Dec. 17 corruption scandal” he refers to the “Dec. 17 coup attempt” to hammer this point home.

Erdogan argues that Fethullah Gulen — the self-exiled Islamic cleric who resides in Pennsylvania — and his followers in state institutions and the media are behind this plot against his government. His opponents, however, maintain that Erdogan is spinning a yarn to divert public attention away from the allegations hanging over his government regarding corruption and other improper activities.