It feels like a major crisis is looming in Turkey - Western relations over Finland and Sweden’s NATO bid. Erdogan needed a rabbit to pull out of the hat to give him a chance to win the next election and this could well be it. He might well use this to go to early elections as there are two things which rally the nation in Turkey - opposition to the PKK and perceived Western hypocrisy. Likely Erdogan will use this to ban the opposition HDP party as well. Going to elections in August - maybe even with a referendum on Swedish/Finnish NATO membership to give him extra leverage - will not give time for HDP supporters to form a new party. It will also put the rest of the opposition alliance in a bind - splitting pro Western elements from nationalists and against the HDP.
Turkey - NATO crisis could see early elections
Turkey - NATO crisis could see early…
Turkey - NATO crisis could see early elections
It feels like a major crisis is looming in Turkey - Western relations over Finland and Sweden’s NATO bid. Erdogan needed a rabbit to pull out of the hat to give him a chance to win the next election and this could well be it. He might well use this to go to early elections as there are two things which rally the nation in Turkey - opposition to the PKK and perceived Western hypocrisy. Likely Erdogan will use this to ban the opposition HDP party as well. Going to elections in August - maybe even with a referendum on Swedish/Finnish NATO membership to give him extra leverage - will not give time for HDP supporters to form a new party. It will also put the rest of the opposition alliance in a bind - splitting pro Western elements from nationalists and against the HDP.