Turkey’s choice could not be starker: more cruelty under Erdoğan, or the return of justice and hope | Ece Temelkuran

The country could finally tear off the straitjacket it has worn for years. But its president is a tiger caught by the tail - what will he do if he loses?

This weekend, my country will choose. If the unlikely unity coalition of opposition parties beats the goliath that is President Recep Tayyip Erdoan, Turkey will be able to tear off the straitjacket that it has worn for years. If the regime wins, however, we will be mourning a country that once was, that could have been.

This is a clash between the forces of autocracy and democracy, between cruelty and basic morals. There is a real chance that Erdoan will lose because six opposition parties have formed a united coalition, led by the secularist Kemal Klcdarolu. Not since the huge anti-government Gezi park protests in 2013 have the people of Turkey put their eternal conflicts to the side like this in order to take on Erdoan's palace, which effectively runs everything from the economy to the judiciary.