A triumph for the opposition, a heavy defeat for Erdogan and an uncertain tomorrow dawns for Turkey. After the March 31 elections a lot seems to be changing in the Turkish political scene.

“The beginning of the end of Erdogan – is this what happened in Turkey on Sunday?” she asks Süddeutsche Zeitung. “The importance of these elections for the country and the talent of Ekrem Imamoglu, the man of the moment, lies in the fact that during this election night one could imagine a Turkey without the current president. Not from now, of course, since there are four more years left until the end of Erdogan’s term. But his authority, which until now seemed unshakable, is now in question.

What Erdogan has to deal with is the fact that many of his own people have abandoned him. The many with whose votes he brought the state, the judiciary, the army under his control”, continues SZ “Now Erdogan rules in a country where majorities are forming against him. And where a new political movement has been created, around Imamoglu, in whose face many already see the next president. Because they believe that he can succeed.”

“Too early to talk about the end of Erdogan”

However, his correspondent German Journalist Network (RND) in Turkey, Gerd Heller, probably disagrees: “Although the Turkish president has been considered politically dead many times, he managed to overcome all the blows he received. Hence, it is too early to talk about the end of Erdogan.”

The German network still estimates that “he is more likely to push forward his plans for a constitutional revisionwith which he will be able to further extend his power and run for the presidential elections once more.

Pressure on the opposition, government critics and human rights activists is likely to increase. […] And while Imamoglu looks capable of challenging Erdogan and claiming the presidency, the Turkish president’s term ends in 2028 – four years in which a lot can happen.”

“Erdogan has passed his zenith”

The financial inspection Handelsblatt focuses on the “pleasant and important observation that even in a country with authoritarian leadership the democratic reaction cannot be suppressed. This sign gives us courage – and at the same time constitutes message to other authoritarian leaders and despots, especially to Russian President Putin. The most important lesson from Sunday’s election in Turkey is therefore this: Erdogan can be defeated.

[…] In the past, Erdogan was often able to convince people that only he could bring prosperity, that only he can resolve any political crises – and won all previous elections. But this is no longer the case. Erdogan has passed his zenith.”

THE tageszeitung considers for her part that Erdogan will turn now “primarily in foreign policy. In his post-election speech, he hinted that a military attack was being prepared against the Kurdish PKK in Iraq and the Kurds in Syria. A major advance in Iraq is also being discussed. However, it is not excluded that there will be renewed talks with the PKKaiming to end the armed conflict in exchange for political concessions.

[…] For his last name in the history books, a political solution to the Kurdish issue it would definitely be worth it. On the other hand, whether he will maintain his mediating role in the peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, that is of course not up to him. Maybe he will do it later, as a retired former president.”