Can Sarigul, the hope of Turkey's left, unseat Erdogan?

Some leftist commentators see Mustafa Sarigul as the best hope for the Turkish left, while others believe he is a mere 'hostage' in Erdogan's hands due to corruption allegations.
TURKEY'S CHIEF RABBI HALEVA ISTANBUL'S DEPUTY MUFTI IPEK AND SISLI DISTRICT MAYOR SARIGULATTEND CEREMONY IN ISTANBUL. Turkey's Chief Rabbi Isak Haleva (R) Istanbul's deputy Mufti Ismail Ipek (L) and Sisli District Mayor Mustafa Sarigul (C) attend December 14, 2003 the reopening ceremony of Beth Israel Synagogue and Nakiye Ipek Street which were destroyed in suicide bomb attacks in Istanbul last month. REUTERS/str - RTR8S82
Turkey's Chief Rabbi Isak Haleva (R), Istanbul's Deputy Mufti Ismail Ipek (L) and Mustafa Sarigul, the mayor of Istanbul's Sisli district, attend the reopening ceremony of the Beth Israel Synagogue and Nakiye Ipek Street, which were destroyed in suicide bomb attacks in Istanbul the month before, Dec. 14 2003. - REUTERS
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Rasim Ozan Kutahyali
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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s opponents have pinned their hopes on Mustafa Sarigul, Turkey’s most popular center-left politician and the mayor of Sisli district, the “Manhattan” of Istanbul. Most anti-Erdogan media believe that Sarigul is the only person who could unseat Erdogan.

It is interesting, though, that Sarigul, someone I know personally, has not uttered a single word targeting Erdogan. On the contrary, he has always praised him and accorded more attention to pro-Erdogan commentators than leftist ones.

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