Why Turkey's Opposition Shouldn't Underestimate Erdogan
By Sinan Ciddi
Turkey's main opposition party and its electoral partner pulled off a stunning upset of the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in local elections on March 31. Voters in Ankara, the capital, and Istanbul, Turkey's industrial and economic center, opted for candidates from the Republican People's Party (CHP) rather than support candidates from the party that has ruled them since 1994. CHP candidates also won in five other large cities, dealing a blow to Erdogan and the AKP on multiple fronts.
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