Tarhan Erdem

Turkish prosecutors in Istanbul issued a warrant for Eren Erdem, a former lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), only minutes after a court ruled for his release on Jan. 7.

Turkey's voters are expected to head to polling stations on Nov. 1 in even greater numbers than the June 7 elections in a development that could be advantageous for all parties, according to survey companies.

?True,? this column admitted as early as eight years ago, ?There are probably a million very good reasons why the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Republican People?s Party (CHP) cannot ally in a ?grand coalition? after July 22 (2007 parliamentary elections.? (?Why a grand coalition is the healthiest option for Turkey,? Hürriyet Daily News, July 13, 2007.)

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “seems open to all kinds of coalition” formulas, Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker and former party leader Deniz Baykal said after his two-hour meeting with the president on June 10

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.