Turkey’s Erdoğan Cracks Down on Political Opposition

A Turkish court annulled the Istanbul provincial congress of the Republican People’s Party (chp) on Tuesday. The court claimed the elections of the delegates were influenced by “cases of willful misconduct and actions of a criminal nature on the part of the delegates.” The ruling replaces provincial chair Özgür Çelik with an interim committee to oversee the chp’s Istanbul branch.

Why it matters: For two decades, Turkey has distanced itself from Western democracy and adopted authoritarian ideals. This ruling is another step toward authoritarianism.

By replacing Çelik and other chp administrators with an interim committee, the Turkish judiciary is further weakening the chief political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Context: Erdoğan became head of state over a decade ago and has silenced dissent and political threats throughout his rule. Recently, political attacks have reached new heights.

• In March, Istanbul University invalidated the diploma of Erdoğan’s key rival, Ekrem Imamoglu, removing his legal ability to run for president. The next day, Imamoglu was arrested and detained, along with several other officials.
• Hundreds of chp municipal officials, mayors and administrators have been arrested since March.

Protests: Many view Erdoğan’s moves as an attempt to tighten his grip on power.

• Imamoglu’s arrest sparked the largest protests Turkey has seen in over a decade, despite protest bans.
• Since then, Turkey has experienced virtually nonstop protests against Erdoğan’s repeated jailing of political rivals.
• Tuesday’s court decision also led to large protests in Istanbul organized by the chp, which called the annulment a coup d’état.

Prophesied: The Bible prophesies that Turkey’s leader will seek to increase his nation’s power. As we wrote in “The Ottoman Empire Strikes Back”:

Historical evidence shows the Turks to be the descendants of the ancient people of Edom, who descended from the patriarch Esau. The book of Obadiah prophesies that the modern Edomites will be led by pride “exalt[ed] as the eagle” (verses 3-4). This prophecy forecasts Turkey’s leader’s ambition to bring his nation to new heights of power. …

[M]illions of his voters love the new anti-Western Turkey that Erdoğan has created. And we can expect Turkey to continue to “exalt itself as the eagle”—at Britain’s, America’s and the Jewish state’s expense—in the years to come.