I want Ergoan gone because of what he pulled in Syria because without the Turks the situation will collapse and Jolani will probably be shot by his Turkish American handlers

Fascist pos country full of batshit nationalists that are literally fueling the Genocide in Palestine. They’re every bit the European neocolonial power as France and the UK, arguably worse in the modern day.

As for any internal politics, it doesn’t matter and nobody should care, free Palestine.

Erdogan has always been bad, objectively. However he was useful to America so they kept him in power.

I think Turkey acquiring the S-500(?) missile system while being in the F35 program really set off alarm bells in Washington and I think after the successful coup in Syria and replacement a more pliant regime, Washington has set its sights on Turkey and hope to install an even more compliant regime there.

One of Erdoğan’s greatest talents was his electoral success. Between his tight grip on the media (literal oligarchic control btw) and extraordinary ability to appeal to parts of the electorate, he hasn’t lost the government since his party first won in 2002. This isn’t really surprising in retrospect, his party is the only one that’s actually organised. Until 2018 there was negligible organisation to campaign or maintain election security, and as of 2023, on a national level, it’s still quite abysmal. Basically, he’s been successful in part because his party has been doing that very same thing Communists have been telling each other to do, and his opposition failed to. I lack brevity as is, so I’m not getting into the roots of AKP or the events of 2015.

It looks like İmamoğlu is the only one who has beaten Erdoğan at any level and is believed to be the only man who can best him in a general election. He’s got a charisma that’s eerily reminiscent of Erdoğan himself, he’s shown himself to be quite the builder of coalitions and it was his organising work that won him İstanbul in 2019 and won the party many other provinces in 2024 local elections. I’m harping on the organising issue in part because it’s that important (as is obvious to ask comrades here) but also because the CHP’s attempts in 2023 to fight AKP organising was to claim it had collapsed, which was revealed the day after the election to be entirely devoid of truth. Also worth mentioning is Yavaş, mayor of Ankara, similarly believed to be a rival to Erdoğan. He’s not. He can’t stop the anti-Kurdish rhetoric to save his life, meaning there’s no chance he can get majority support of the Kurdish people and would lose nationally.

On the 17th, İmamoğlu had his diploma annulled for bs reasons (a university diploma is required to run for the presidency), on the next day he and 100 others were drained, around half were charged and arrested 3 days later, protests began on the day of detaining. They’ve largely been led by CHP, which turned them into electioneering without an upcoming election. The party leader engages in some resistance rhetoric but their main function has been to sheepdog people into not putting the budding revolutionary enthusiasm into anything revolutionary. The protests overall have had a clear Kemalist bent, so nationalist fascists are a-ok but anyone implying Kurdish liberation sympathies is expelled. I know there are some comrades among them closing themselves in Kemalist symbols intentionally, but haven’t seen any socialist symbols by themselves. Youth attempting spontaneous action usually get arrested since they lack organisation, as such don’t know what to do beyond the next 5 minutes or how to act around the pigs.

Internationally, Turkey is just a periphery vassal. After the ottoman empire became a semi-colony and eventually fell, it’s been trying to “reach the level of modern nations.” Plunging oneself intentionally to the horrors of capitalism, without the scientific understanding and approach of Communists, purely on ideological grounds and trying to embed oneself to the imperialists order of things on their terms is a tried and failed strategy. While this is clear in retrospect, I maintain that it was as idiotic in 1929 as it is in 2025. The great depression happened 6 years after Turkey was founded, it’s beyond me why half the founding crew didn’t question they’re Francophile education and liberal tendencies. That being said, Erdoğan has 2 recent victories: the fascists in control of Syria maintain their junior partner or whatever position with Erdoğan and Trump’s in office, with whom Erdoğan has his rapport. He’s also in good standing with Europe and hailed as the defender of a free Ukraine, but I don’t think that’s something he can cash in anyhow. His relationship with Europe has always been one step forward, five steps back after he has some head start when he first came into office as prime minister.

That’s how things have been as I’ve perceived them. I don’t know whether İmamoğlu will be released, whether he will win if he is, whether his candidacy will be upheld by the government that incarcerated him in the first place, but most importantly, I have no idea whether he’ll be better for Turkey or the world. Internally, I would expect that things would go back to parliamentary system, not because İmamoğlu would want to give up power, but rather because I expect the coalition that topples Erdoğan to crumble in turn. I expect the economic conditions to stabilise, between the “sensible” liberal policies and western money. Kurdish liberation won’t be a hair closer. Socialists won’t be more free to operate, such as they are. He’ll be more likely to go along with European schemes in the region, especially anything to support the Zionist entity, but his party is partial to taking random principled stances against western interests every once in a while.

turkey sucks but i think the west want erdogan gone because he has become a player in Syria with HTS. the neottomanist project clashes with the zionist project and the US certainly do not want turkey becoming a rival in the region.

Erdogan is very much taking out his political opposition here. The reason western media is happy about it is cause they think that if he falls then they could install somebody more liberal in his place. The west has had a rocky relationship with Erdogan for a while now. The west needs Turkey because of strategic sea access, and Turkey knows this and they milk it for all they can.

As far as Turkey goes, I don’t really have any opinion which is more progressive than Vlad Tepes after what happened to Syria so I really don’t know what to say.

It doesn’t matter who’s in charge as it won’t make any difference as we saw a number of times unless it’s outright communist party which has no chances.

I can see why the west would be sick of the watermelon seller. He’s too slippery for them and they want someone who will just do what they say. They are sick of him saying saying thing while doing another.

I can see why Turkey’s people would be sick of him. On the one hand he stokes nationalism and racism which makes minorities hate him but on the other he doesn’t go all in to support pogroms so the the racist nationalists are upset.

I don’t know enough about the economic situation but if Erdogan is true to form I’m sure he plays both sides against the middle and that is probably pissing off the bourgeoise too.

What will come if he is ousted? No clue. I think its a coin toss that it will be either way worse or way better. Or maybe it’ll be the same.

The media thinks things will be better under CHP, which is very closely alligned with Europe. But I personally think AKP and CHP as just as bad and pro-Europe/NATO and these protests could have some potential to radicalize people