Erdoğan's new election strategy revealed: They are playing good cop, bad cop

It has been alleged that President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is pursuing a strategy of "keeping the opposition busy with judicial processes" ahead of the upcoming elections.

It was stated that the government, which targeted the Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party before the local elections, has turned its focus toward the Republican People's Party (CHP) following the 2024 local elections.

It was reported that prosecution sources indicated the indictment in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) investigation, in which CHP's presidential candidate and İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is also a suspect, will be completed in the first week of November.

Journalist Murat Yetkin made striking claims regarding the government's new strategy. According to Yetkin, the government has forced the CHP and DEM Party into a limited agenda centered on the release of politically significant figures. Yetkin stated that the CHP's primary goal is to ensure İmamoğlu is tried without being detained, and that this situation influences the political priorities of party leader Özgür Özel.

The same analysis noted that the DEM Party is focused on improving prison conditions for Abdullah Öcalan and securing the release of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ.

"IF PRISON CONVERSATIONS ARE BEING MONITORED..."

Yetkin also made a notable assessment regarding the prison meetings between CHP leader Özgür Özel and İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

"If the conversations during prison visits are being wiretapped, Erdoğan may have the opportunity to learn about the CHP's next move through the Özel-İmamoğlu meetings before Özel even shares them with the party leadership," he stated.

It was suggested that this situation could allow the government to anticipate the opposition's strategies in advance.

"GOOD COP – BAD COP"

In Yetkin's assessment, it was argued that President Erdoğan continues to employ a "good cop – bad cop" tactic in his political relationship with MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli.

It was stated that despite Erdoğan and Bahçeli occasionally making statements in different tones, they act in line with common political goals.

According to Yetkin, while this situation is frequently interpreted by the opposition as a "rift," it actually carries the impression of a planned division of labor.

"ERDOĞAN IS PREPARING FOR THE ELECTION"

The analysis also stated that President Erdoğan has initiated a comprehensive restructuring process both within the party and in state institutions.

It was reported that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office's operations targeting the business world, personnel changes within AKP organizations, and bureaucratic appointments are also being evaluated within this scope.

According to Yetkin's article, the primary goal of Erdoğan and Bahçeli is to force the opposition into a defensive position while simultaneously neutralizing "business circles with the potential to cause trouble."

Yetkin also stated that President Erdoğan is in search of establishing a new economy-security balance in foreign policy as well.