Why does a leader who consistently loses elections remain at the helm of the opposition? In this episode, we dive deep into the political paradox of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu,  who is the longest serving opposition leader in Turkey between 2010 and 2023, and what his enduring leadership reveals about the crisis of opposition in competitive authoritarian regimes like Turkey. Professor Behlül Özkan joins us to discuss his enlightening new article “Competing Against Erdoğan, Collaborating with the State,” where he argues that Kılıçdaroğlu’s success strategy to the power in politics wasn’t built on mass support, but on state-aligned strategy and bureaucratic inertia.

We explore how the opposition failed to challenge Erdoğan’s dominance, why internal democracy matters, and what lessons Turkey’s experience holds for other democracies facing authoritarian backslide. Tune in for a candid conversation that rethinks opposition politics from the inside out.