Good Party (IP) Chairperson Meral Akşener reflected on the opposition’s latest election defeat in an Aug. 26 address, apologizing for preventing Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s presidential bid and failing to persuade Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu or Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş to run for president instead.

Speaking to reporters, Akşener took credit for the opposition’s success in the 2019 municipal elections yet blamed Kılıçdaroğlu, who invited right-wing fringe parties to the alliance, for what happened in May 2023.

It is important to note that Akşener’s criticism of Kılıçdaroğlu and the CHP was far more measured than what pro-CHP commentators have recently said about Akşener and the IP.

Either way, the most striking part of the Aug. 26 speech was Akşener calling on all opposition parties to field their own candidates in the March 2024 municipal elections – citing deepening polarization, a byproduct of the alliance system, which she claimed to have deprived political parties of their respective space.

‘Third way’

Although many observers expected Akşener to unveil a "third-way" vision for her movement, it is difficult to say that her speech marked the beginning of a new chapter. Still, she made an effort to carve out more room in the political arena for the IP – in line with that movement’s goal of becoming Türkiye’s largest right-wing party. Hence, Akşener’s criticism of the opposition alliance and call for contesting next year’s election individually.

In other words, the IP chairperson does not want to automatically endorse the CHP’s candidates in 2024 – as she was compelled to do in 2019 and 2023. Indeed, the supporters of Akşener’s party are unhappy with the opposition alliance’s architecture, which enables the main opposition party to call the shots.

Furthermore, Akşener seemingly wants to undermine the solidarity among Nation Alliance members and expects more right-wing voters to act freely as the alliances dissolve. Obviously, fielding its own candidates might stop the IP from facing criticism over collaborating with the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) or the Green Left Party (YSP).

Nonetheless, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairperson Devlet Bahçeli unequivocally rejected Akşener’s proposal by saying that the IP chair talked about contesting the election alone without shutting the door on alliances or province-level cooperation.

It goes without saying that the opposition’s province-level cooperation represents a specific type of alliance itself. Moreover, dissolving the People’s Alliance would certainly play into the opposition’s hand.

Akşener’s attempt to field her own candidates without completely rejecting intra-opposition partnerships in some provinces resembles the approach of right-wing fringe parties within the "table for six." They, too, need to determine and increase their level of popular support. Not fielding one’s own candidates amounts to giving up on one’s ambitions at this point. To ensure that the negative impact of having contested the May 2023 election on the CHP ticket does not persist and they can appeal to other right-wing voter blocs, those parties must field their own candidates. That is why the chairpersons of the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), the Felicity Party (SP) and the Future Party (GP) have been criticizing the CHP partly and unforcefully. Considering that right-wing opposition parties cannot afford not to participate in the "weigh-in" next year, they have a smaller chance of forcing the CHP’s hand than they assume. Meanwhile, CHP candidates will try to persuade right-wing voters who voted for the CHP in 2019 and 2023 to support them once again.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s edge

Fully aware of his advantages, Kılıçdaroğlu refuses to respond to statements by the opposition alliance’s right-wing members. Akşener’s latest remarks were no exception because the CHP stands to benefit disproportionately from province-level collaborations as well. The CHP chairperson also knows that Akşener’s interest in Imamoğlu and Yavaş ahead of the May 2023 elections impressed the IP base. In other words, the IP’s potential candidates in Istanbul and Ankara might receive fewer votes than expected.

That is the essence of the contradiction: The IP cannot talk about "the third way" without contesting mayoral races in metropolitan districts. That would amount to giving up on any plans for the 2028 presidential election.

The same goes for right-wing fringe parties and pro-PKK HDP/YSP.

The opposition parties must find a way to make themselves count.