Turkey’s opposition faces Erdogan’s ire as economic crisis muddles election timetable
Opposition parties are under growing pressure as Turkey waits to see if Recep Tayyip Erdogan will call early elections despite skyrocketing prices.
ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week raised the pressure on the opposition with veiled threats of clashes in the streets in response to protests against his rule.
Facing elections at some point in the next 18 months, coupled with the worst economic crisis of his nearly 20-year rule, the president is looking to neutralize the threat from an opposition that seems well-positioned to challenge him, according to analysts.
“Supposedly they’ll take to the streets without any shame,” Erdogan said in a televised speech to members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara on Tuesday.
Referring to the 2016 coup attempt against him that saw his supporters confront rogue military elements and led to more than 250 deaths, he added, “Wherever you take to, this nation will teach you a lesson just like it gave a lesson to those who took to the streets on July 15.”
