Even ruling elites cannot define the 'New Turkey'

Opposition circles, or the "other half of Turkey," are suffering from post-system change trauma. It is not just the end of the parliamentary system and the authoritarian sway that has been sealed after the July 2016 coup attempt and the April 2017 referendum, everybody feels a deeper transformation of the political regime underway. However, neither the opposition nor the ruling party is willing to acknowledge the true nature of this change. 

The failure of opposition circles to hinder the authoritarian sway has pushed them toward embracing simple rejectionism. The founding fathers of the ruling Justice and Development (AK Party) had declared their change of mind and denounced their Islamist past and ideology when the party was established. They claimed that they would henceforth define themselves as "conservative democrats." Later they changed their course once again, but it is not a simple story of Islamists' betrayal of democracy and democrats - it is also about the problem of democratic opposition in Turkey.  

Indeed, the real issue is about a more universal problem of democracies: Winning a majority vote is an essential part of the game, but in the end it may lead to authoritarianism, especially in the event of the weak institutionalization of checks and balances. That is the case of Turkey, and it is leading to a radical regime change. 

Bygones are bygones, and from now on the opposition should acknowledge the seriousness of the matter rather than engaging itself with more with trivial matters. The current authoritarian backlash in Turkey is being legitimized along Islamist/nationalist lines; the ruling party is keen on politicizing religion, and the opposition seems to be falling into this trap. 

This may also be a kind of...