The demonstrations that began in Istanbul after Imamoglu's arrest have spread to various provinces in Turkey. Although Imamoglu's arrest was the starting point of the protests, the economic difficulties and social problems of recent years are attracting more people to the demonstrations. The demonstrations are expected to become more widespread towards the weekend.
In this sense, there is some justification in comparing what happened with the "Gezi Park" process of 2013. At that time, the events that began as a protest against the demolition work in Gezi Park turned into large-scale demonstrations against Erdogan's AKP government and the protests lasted for about 2 months. However, the Erdogan government managed to suppress the uprisings and later increased its power in the political system by making a number of legal changes.
The main reason for the failure of the "Gezi Park" uprisings was the lack of a political leader to guide the events. The current demonstrations are being led in absentia by Imamoglu. At the same time, the current Erdogan government is not as strong as it was in 2013, and economic difficulties have seriously weakened the AKP's social base.
The CHP's emergence as the first party in the municipal elections held on March 31, 2024 was the most obvious indicator of the rise of the opposition at home. It is clear that at a time when Turkey's strategic importance in the international arena, especially in the West, is increasing, Erdogan is trying to strengthen his weakened positions at home. It is not expected that major powers preoccupied with security concerns will "bet" on a change of government in Turkey. In other words, the internal situation is in favor of the opposition, and the international situation is in favor of the government. Such a