Whether you like it or not...
Every day, the curtain opens again for the CHP on the main stage of Turkish politics.
You turn on the TV in the morning, CHP.
Evening debate program CHP.
The government speaks CHP.
The opposition speaks CHP.
Social media is already like a “CHP fan forum” in itself.
It's almost meteorology:
“Strong polemic will be seen in the interior parts of the country and CHP effect will be seen in places in Marmara...”
Because the CHP is no longer just a political party; it has turned into the highest-rated political TV series in the country.
And all the elements of the series are present.
There is intrigue.
There is betrayal.
There is a battle for leadership.
There are backstage operations.
Resentments, confrontations, zoom meetings, scenarios behind closed doors...
In one episode there is a message of “unity and solidarity”, in the next episode everyone is suing each other for political divorce.
Those who walked shoulder to shoulder yesterday accuse each other of “harming the party” today. Those who called for “change” yesterday are advocating “stability” today. Politics sometimes looks more like a script revision than ideology.
But here's the irony:
It is not only CHP supporters who follow the CHP most carefully.
Their rivals are paying as much attention as they are. Because in Turkish politics, everyone is now focusing on the rival's crisis rather than their own team. It is as if an endless reality show is being watched, not political competition.
When the economy is discussed, the topic turns to the CHP.
Election analysis is being done, CHP is again at the center.
Even other opposition actors are forced to move closer to the CHP axis in order to be visible.
Because the center of gravity of Turkish politics is sometimes measured not by the number of votes, but by the turbulence it generates.
This is exactly what the CHP is doing.
More than a political party, it is becoming the political mood of the country. Every fight within it is like a small rehearsal of the country's general tension. Leader debates represent one thing, factional wars another fracture.
Maybe that is why when people watch the CHP, they are not just following a party; they are also watching Turkey itself.
And it must be admitted that politics in this country is no longer taking place in parliament, but at the scripting table.
Everyone is waiting for the new episode:
Who's going to take on whom?
Who will raise the banner of change?
Who is going to make accusations of “treason”?
Who will hug in front of the cameras and sharpen knives backstage?
Because the season finale never comes on Turkey's political screen.
And no matter what happens, the name of this show doesn't change:
“CHP.”