The Return of Local Democracy: The CHP and the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality

This article looks into the historical watershed of the 2019 local elections in Turkey and examines to what extent local government can empower opposition parties under the conditions of autocratic consolidation. The author looks into the case of the Metropolitan Municipality in Istanbul and argues that the administrative capacity-building and the cadre development, which the main opposition accomplished once in power can reinvigorate opposition politics and allow for the emergence of alternative power centres that may eventually challenge the incumbent.