Is It Mansur's Turn!

For those who have even a slight understanding of the political Islamist mentality, these developments should come as no surprise.

Let's put it bluntly: Tayyip Erdoğan has pulled the plug on Ekrem İmamoğlu, disregarding all potential reactions from within or outside.

He is quite literally conducting a cleanup operation.

He wants not just to win the next election, but to ensure a clear path for himself afterward.

Anyone who could pose a threat is getting more than their fair share of the consequences!

He will not leave his business to chance.

It is very clear that he has learned his lesson from losing Istanbul twice in a row. Knowing he could not win against Ekrem İmamoğlu, he did not feel the need to wait any longer and took action before the CHP could hold a primary.

Let's give credit where it's due.

He reads politics very well, determines his strategy very well, and sets up his game very well, but more importantly, he shamelessly uses the resources of the state apparatus he holds in his hands.

His greatest luck is having someone at the head of the main opposition who is extremely incompetent, shortsighted, lacking in foresight, constantly appearing not to know what they are doing, and politically ignorant...

He is aware of this and is moving step by step.

The people of my country are already in a death sleep. Since there is no one to wake them up, he is as comfortable as someone walking through a village without dogs!

The issue will be discussed for a few more days; a few people who have pinned their hopes on Ekrem İmamoğlu will make statements with grand words, Özgür Özel will get up and come from Ankara to Istanbul, and say a sentence or two as if reacting out of honor just to keep up appearances...

Perhaps three or five small actions or protests to let off steam; plenty of demagoguery on channels that call themselves "opposition" and on social media...

That's all...

What comes next is unknown, because it would be naive to think that he has a "Plan B" based on the possibility of "İmamoğlu being detained," as he is constantly playing the ball as it comes. In the end, Tayyip Erdoğan will come out, put an end to it, and the matter will be closed; unless millions spontaneously pour into the streets to seek justice for Ekrem İmamoğlu.

As of yesterday, a completely different page has been turned in Turkey.

While we were able to talk about the crumbs of democracy thanks to the atmosphere of hope created by the local elections until today, now even that has disappeared.

If they appoint a trustee to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, then Özgür Özel can just close up shop and leave.

In fact, the coming of Thursday was evident from Wednesday. Anyone who is politically literate could have predicted that the issue would reach this point.

The government did not settle for just blocking Ekrem İmamoğlu's path to the presidency by canceling his diploma; it took a highly critical step to completely erase him from politics.

The fact that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office called him a "criminal organization leader" is the flare for this. In other words, let's slap the label on him, and let him struggle to clean it off from now on...

If the government had hit the brakes after the decision made by Istanbul University, we could have thought that they had given the green light for Ekrem İmamoğlu to take over the CHP and engage in politics in the coming period. But that didn't happen; they leaned in with all their might to end his political life.

It is extremely difficult to predict what will happen next!

All eyes are on the CHP.

Since Özgür Özel has already lost the case from the start by insisting on softening up and becoming lukewarm after the March 31 elections, and by wearing the jacket of His Majesty and standing at attention before him, no one will take him seriously anymore, no matter what he does.

Even his first reaction, asking "Where do you stand on this coup?", shows that he has not sufficiently grasped the importance of the issue.

Okay, as he says, this is a civil coup, but what will Özgür Özel do to prevent it?

There is no answer!

Let's be honest: the government is now daring to do all this because he failed to present a strong, principled, and effective opposition following the local election victory. Both those who voted for the CHP and those who did not know very well that if Tayyip Erdoğan snapped his fingers, Özgür Özel would run to the Palace.

Furthermore;

If Ekrem İmamoğlu had not succumbed to his ambition and sought to guarantee his candidacy for an election whose date is not even set, he would not have conceded this goal so early.

He calculated that the candidacy would be a protective shield for him against the investigations into him.

But his calculation did not hold.

Now, even if he sits with his head in his hands and thinks like a statue, it is of no use.

The bridge is on the other side of the water.

His options and what he can do are now limited.

Whether he can open a path for himself to become the natural leader of the CHP from here, whether he can consolidate the base and align them behind him, or whether he can stir up the victimization he is experiencing and explode the party's votes; it is hard to say. The electorate showed him great favor for the Istanbul Metropolitan Mayoralty, but in the eyes of a significant portion of the CHP base, he cannot go beyond being a 'Laz contractor'.

As for Mansur Yavaş, although he is in the background for now, he is not off the government's radar.

If the threat perception increases, Tayyip Erdoğan will press the button without hesitation, the "system" will go into action, an investigation file will be invented, filled with content, and poof, he will be thrown out of the game with a political ban.

There is no point in saying they cannot do that anymore. Those who took Ekrem İmamoğlu from his home in a dawn operation can very easily find a suitable excuse for Mansur Yavaş.

Let's come to the crux of the matter.

With this cleanup operation, Tayyip Erdoğan is actually clearing the way for Özgür Özel.

In other words, he is choosing his own opponent.

If we see the palace-fed media and social media trolls starting to badmouth the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality in the coming days, let us understand that it is Mansur Yavaş's turn.

What follows is the final act of the theater...

Özgür Özel, with his two important strikers out of the game, as he puts it, will "necessarily" take responsibility, say "One cannot run away from responsibility," and try to push the idea to the people that "What could be more natural than the Chairman being the presidential candidate?"...

There is no need to look for too many excuses anyway!

This is exactly what Tayyip Erdoğan wants!

An opponent to his liking.

Thus, he will have legitimized the election and guaranteed the result.

After that, get well soon to all of us!