TÜRKİYE ORTA ASYA HABER KKUORDİNATÖRÜ

WORLD TURKISH NEWS: SWEDEN: WORLDPRESS demirozcane May 14, 2026 In Türkiye, we are showing the world how to challenge a ruthless and authoritarian leader. The youthful energy of the street protests is breathing new life into progressive parties heading towards failure, and this is a model that can be applied everywhere. He is a Turkish journalist and political commentator. After 22 years of usurpation of power, takeover of all state institutions, and heavy repression aimed at turning Turkish citizens into Islamofascist slaves, there is retaliation against the authoritarianism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Protests have been ongoing for the past week in cities across the country, including regime strongholds. The detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu this week on fabricated corruption charges ignited the public; within days, the protests transformed into something bigger – a national uprising demanding democracy, dignity, and freedom. The protests reminded many of the 2013 Gezi uprising, but this time, young people, whom we thought had lost hope for the future during the Erdoğan era and the severe economic crisis, took to the streets, risking unlimited police violence by participating in now-banned public gatherings. One of the slogans adorning the banners perfectly summed up the sentiment: “If we burn, you will burn with us.” While the protests were full of political humor, everyone knew that what was happening was no joke: the country was at a point of no return politically. Fate was sealed. Either Erdoğan would back down, or something else would happen. What that “something else” might be is a terrifying possibility. Yet, the people’s determination to break down the wall of fear is unprecedented, and this time, unlike the Gezi uprising, the main opposition party is “hosting” – or at least trying to host – the political action. Imamoğlu is not only the mayor of Turkey’s largest city, but also, with his widespread popularity, Erdoğan’s only credible political rival. Just before his arrest on dubious allegations (financial corruption, leading a criminal organization, and collaborating with terrorist groups) leveled by the regime, İmamoğlu was about to announce his candidacy for the next presidential election. Various opinion polls indicated that İmamoğlu's support would likely surpass Erdoğan's in the election planned for 2028. According to sources close to Erdoğan, the plan was to arrest and discredit İmamoğlu and appoint a trustee to the main opposition party. This was a method Erdoğan had employed for years. Many mayors from both the social democratic and Kurdish parties had been detained, and İmamoğlu's arrest was anticipated. In his last video before his arrest, İmamoğlu, dressed, calmly stated that he would "stand firm" for the Turkish people. Hundreds of thousands of people, perceiving his words as a call to action, filled the city squares from the very first night. Seeing the scale of the protests, the main opposition party transformed its presidential primary into a mass political action, calling on all citizens to support İmamoğlu and demonstrate that support for the regime extended far beyond party politics. Approximately 15 million people voted for İmamoğlu, solidifying his position as the official opposition candidate. The details of this story can be confusing. The boundless lies and deception employed by an authoritarian leader can make it difficult to follow. However, what happened in Turkey contains important lessons for democracies around the world. As we have seen in many European countries and the US over the last decade, aligning oneself with centrist political parties has not been effective, and Occupy-style street politics, however inspiring, is not sufficient to counter the rising tide of fascism. “Try again, fail again” strategies have run their course in recent years, the latest example being the US. Clearly, traditional political parties – Democrats in the US and social democrats in Europe – have failed to contain the political and moral outrage of the masses stirred up by leaders like Erdoğan or Donald Trump. The political energy stemming from street politics is too unpredictable for traditional political parties to harness, and the masses, with their youthful enthusiasm, are hesitant to align themselves with crumbling political institutions. So what is the solution? Following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Friday, a protester wearing a Turkish flag confronted riot police near the city hall. Protests against the Istanbul mayor have transformed into a ‘struggle for democracy’ in Turkey. Read more Old-fashioned progressive opposition parties resemble sunken ships – decaying structures. After joining neoliberal hegemony, they have lost all vital elements within themselves over the last fifty years.