Erdo?an's Turkey no longer has rule of law

With less than a month to go until the polls, the focus of Turkey?s election campaign has shifted from the competition between rival political parties to a conflict between President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and three opposition parties. In the last week alone, President Erdo?an held around 10 public rallies and delivered lengthy statements at public events almost every day, holding forth on his long-time ambition to adopt a presidential system.  

The main opposition Republican People?s Party (CHP) and the Peoples? Democratic Party (HDP) made consecutive appeals to the Supreme Election Board (YSK) but failed to get a meaningful response. 

Erdo?an defended holding public rallies and conveying his messages to the public on the grounds that ?it is his responsibility to disseminate his opinions about the future of Turkey.? However, his statements are not limited to his opinions about the future of Turkey. Every one of his addresses contains harsh words, criticisms and accusations against the opposition parties, especially the CHP and the HDP. He is gentler when it comes to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), maybe because he does not want to irk his own nationalist voters. 

Erdo?an is openly siding with the Justice and Development Party (AKP) when he demands 400 lawmakers from the people, an amount of seats that would easily change the constitution in the way he desires. His heavily polarizing and discriminating rhetoric is a repetition of what he did during the 2011 election campaign, which was full of religious and nationalist motifs. According to Tarhan Erdem, a political analyst and long-time election observer, Erdo?an has also become the first president ever to campaign openly in favor of a political party by using the holy book of Islam,...