The multi-faceted crisis that Turkey has been going through for the last ten years continues to deepen day by day and shows no signs of slowing down. Meanwhile, as the date of the legislative and presidential elections approached, politics has become intensified. On the one hand, the rivalry between the ruling bloc (AKP-MHP) and the "Table for Six", which leads the opposition, continues in a way that challenges the rules of political courtesy and honesty due to the destructive steps taken by the government. On the other hand, the campaign that aims to shut down the Peoples' Democracy Party, which was understood to be an official state project, unfortunately, seems to yield the intended results with the contribution of the Constitutional Court.As a matter of fact, on January 5, 2023, the Constitutional Court decided to block the bank account where treasury aid was expected to be paid to HDP. However, constitutionally the Party can only be deprived of treasury aid only if it is definitively revealed at the end of the trial process that it is the focus of unconstitutional acts. Therefore, this interim decision for the Court means "enjoyment of opinion".On the other hand, since "deprivation of treasury aid" is a decision that can only be given as a final verdict, making a so-called "precautionary measure" decision that will have the same result emerges as a clear violation of the constitution and law. In fact, some other members of the Constitutional Court and the President, who is known to have liberal tendencies, did not agree with this decision.Meanwhile, a recent decision on election legislation has created the impression that a majority that is concerned about acting in harmony with the political power is dominant in the Constitutional Court. Along with this decision at the end of last September, the Court approved the legal arrangement that envisaged changing the structure of the election boards and terminating the duties of the members of the board with the qualifications of judges before the end of their normal terms. Indeed, the decision of the Court could only mean that it approved the intervention of the political power in the election boards at a time when the general elections were approaching.In fact, this is not the first move of the AKP-MHP ruling bloc to put the opposition in hot water en route to the general elections. The court decision regarding the questionable criminal conviction and ban from public service against Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, was evidently motivated by the political power's policy towards the "Table of Six", which contradicted the understanding of fair and democratic competition.&nbsp;Meanwhile, the so-called Constitutional amendment proposal brought on the agenda by the AKP-MHP ruling bloc to free headscarves, which is obviously designed as a trap for the opposition, is waiting for its turn to be introduced to the political arena.&nbsp;Another policy that the political power has been following for a while is to take an advantageous position against the opposition by applying an "election economy". The legal regulation regarding the "Retirement Age Requirement" (EYT), which allows those to retire at a very young age (28-43), is a clear indicator of the electoral economy of the AKP-MHP ruling bloc. This regulation, which will benefit more than two million people, is a move that could seriously damage Turkey's already poor pension system. In the coming weeks, we may encounter new examples of such populist gestures by political power.Finally, it is necessary to point out a development that can bring some hope to this pessimistic environment. The "Human Rights Action Plan", announced by Ali Babacan, the chairman of the DEVA Party, made a promise to remove the ethnic-cultural reference in the definition of citizenship through the Constitutional amendment and to ensure that citizens whose mother tongue is not Turkish will receive education in their own language. We hope that this will be a stimulus to encourage the inclusion of more fundamental goals that go beyond the change of the government system in the vision of constitutional change of the "Table of Six".Hoping to see more good news in the next issue.

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