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Criticizing the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) approach to women, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu devoted much of his weekly parliamentary meeting to hailing women’s struggle for rights in Turkey.

“Women are their [AKP] biggest fear. That’s why they are telling women to stay at home. Women will stay at home if they want and hit the streets to defend their rights if they want,” Kılıçdaroğlu said on April 3 at parliament in Ankara.

The government’s chokehold over Turkey’s beleaguered media is tightening with the slapping on of new restrictions and the concurrent sale of the country’s last notionally independent media conglomerate to a pro-government group. The moves are widely seen as part of a concerted push by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to guarantee victory for himself and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in critical municipal, parliamentary and presidential elections that are due to be held next year.

Turkey’s parliament has approved a bill granting the radio and television watchdog authority to regulate online content, fuelling concerns about further restrictions on the media. The move closes a loophole under which some Turkish broadcasters have sought refuge from censorship and strict regulations by moving to online streaming platforms.

It follows sharp criticism by rights groups and Turkey’s Western allies of restrictions on the media following the 2016 failed coup against President Tayyip Erdogan.

A substantial law that gives the green light to political parties to form pre-election alliances and overhauls electoral regulations on the eve of 2019 polls has been approved at parliament after a marathon nightlong session, which included a physical fight between ruling and opposition lawmakers.

The 26-article law was approved by a majority vote led by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The two parties have already announced an agreement to form what they have dubbed the “People’s Alliance.”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday condemned the sentences ranging from two to seven years in prison that 25 Turkish journalists received on March 8 in a political mass trial in Istanbul targeting opposition journalists.

The sentences were issued after the 25 journalists were convicted of supporting or being members of a movement led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gülen, regarded by the Turkish government as a “terrorist organization” and blamed for an attempted coup in July 2016.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ has denied rumors the government would call a snap election, saying that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) always favors polls to take place on their planned dates.

“Elections in Turkey will be held on time. There will be no snap elections; there will be elections held on time,” Bozdağ told reporters after a meeting in Ankara on March 1.

Turkey is scheduled to hold local eletions in March 2019 and parliamentary and presidential elections in November 2019.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has submitted a draft bill to abolish the 10-percent election threshold as a reaction to ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party’s (MHP) joint legislation move for election alliances.

“All discussions on alliances indicate that in order to ensure a right system of representation in parliament the electoral threshold should be abolished immediately,” read the draft bill submitted to the Parliamentary Speaker’s Office on Feb. 23.

Great Union Party (BBP) leader Mustafa Destici said they support the pre-election alliance between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), state-run Anadolu Agency has reported. 

“We have made it clear since the beginning that we would support and join the alliance. For now, everything is going well for us to be in the alliance,” he said in an interview with private broadcaster CNN Türk late on Feb. 20.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has once again called on the government to bring forward all three elections slated to take place in 2019, including local, parliamentary and presidential polls, in a bid to avoid further deterioration of democracy in the country.

“Today Turkey is not being governed. I know their [ruling Justice and Development Party – AKP’s] biggest anxiety. The economy will worsen… I challenge them,” Kılıçdaroğlu said in an interview with private broadcaster CNN Türk on Oct. 26.