No matter how crucial Turkey’s foreign policy issues are, domestic politics has always been at the top of the agenda. Yet, Turkey’s regional and international relations greatly influence its domestic well-being. In terms of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, Turkey’s independent and proactive foreign policy is being carried out with a balanced attitude. While condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Turkey works to put an end to this devastating conflict by keeping the channels of dialogue open with Russia. In terms of NATO’s expansion in northern Europe, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan surprised the world by emphasizing the risks involved in admitting Sweden and Finland into NATO. Making the best of the fragile situation, Erdoğan is legitimately protesting the arms embargo placed upon Turkey and taking a stand against countries that support the PKK terrorist group, not just the two Nordic states but also its NATO allies.

Meanwhile, the Turkish government simultaneously manages the country's ameliorating relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In addition to its leading role in Libya, Turkey emphasized its determination to undertake a military operation in Syria to minimize the PKK’s activities in the north of the neighboring country. As Russia begins to withdraw its soldiers from the Syrian battlefield, Turkey aims to protect Syria's territorial integrity by eliminating the terrorist organization, which is especially active in Manbij and Tal Rifaat. Despite the significance of these foreign issues, the Turkish public remains focused on the upcoming presidential elections in 2023.

Instead of proposing alternative policies and discourses on Turkey’s pressing problems, oppositional parties have long dedicated themselves to criticizing the government in harsh political language. In his strongly worded speech at the group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the Parliament, Erdoğan posed 10 concrete questions to Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). If Kılıçdaroğlu cannot provide clear answers to these questions, Erdoğan says the electors will not entrust the government to such ambitious but incompetent individuals. These were the president's questions:

Does he condemn all the elements of the PKK separatist terrorist organization and all political extensions of all terrorist organizations from the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) to Daesh?

Does he support Turkey’s cross-border operations against the PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG?

Does he support his own country against the West's hypocritical attitude toward terrorist organizations and Turkey’s national interests, which has reemerged during the discussion over Sweden and Finland's NATO membership?

Is he on his country's side in its national struggles in the Mediterranean and Aegean from the issue of territorial waters to that of exclusive economic zones?

Does he support, at least in principle, our struggle against the effects of the international economic crisis deriving from the COVID19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war?

Will he carry out his politics in terms of the genuine interests of our country and people by letting go of the assertions that have been proven to be false by court decisions and institutional statements?

Will he determine his political strategies with the members of his party and the national public instead of having them prepared and approved by the representatives of foreign countries?

Is he willing to act as an extension of a noble state by protecting all values, symbols, achievements and legacies of these lands that our nation has turned into its eternal homeland after a 1,000-year bloody struggle?

Does he intend to cleanse his party of all supporters of terrorist organizations, thieves, abusers and rapists?

Does he have the heart to nominate himself as a presidential candidate in 2023?

Even though all these questions are crucial, the last question made a particularly strong impression on public opinion. With this question, Erdoğan not only challenged Kılıçdaroğlu in the presidential race but also forced the opposition Nation’s Alliance to designate their presidential candidate.

With his last speech in Parliament, Erdoğan exposed the contradictions and deadlocks within the oppositional front. If the oppositional parties support the government’s struggle against the PKK in Iraq and Syria, they will be in conflict with the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which is their ally in all but name. If they support the government’s initiatives in Eastern Mediterranean and issues related to NATO expansion, they have to come face to face with the Western powers. Even though the discourses of the Good Party (IP) resemble those of the AK Party, they have a hard time supporting the government as this attitude will alienate the Western powers, with whom they would like to establish an alliance for the upcoming presidential elections.

Even though opposition parties responded to Erdoğan’s questions, their answers remain ambiguous and loaded with political propaganda and accusations. While it is not rational to expect the opposition leaders to admit to the political contradictions and deadlocks, Erdoğan’s speech succeeded in exposing them to the public.