In a recent TV interview, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), made controversial statements about "25 to 35 percent [of the electorate] who do not question anything whatsoever." What the opposition leader really meant was that he could not understand why people would vote for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regardless of what happens. The journalists sitting across from Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu voiced similar sentiments. Amberin Zaman, who serves as Turkey's correspondent to The Economist, continued this dialogue with Jacobin, accusing the average citizen of ignorance. "Is it not a little difficult to expect [people to question things] in Turkey, a Muslim country? After all, Islam is a religion centered around the community, not the individual. Secondly, the level of education in Turkey is not quite suitable for [questioning]."The short excerpt above could possibly explain, in a nutshell, why Mr. Erdoğan has won eight consecutive elections and the opposition has failed to develop an adequate response to his brand of politics. Unfortunately, members of the opposition, who conveniently accuse the people of not questioning things, seem uninterested in the reasons behind their losing streak. After each election defeat, they direct criticism toward the voters rather than themselves. As such, the greatest challenge for the opposition remains the cheekiness of the fundamental view that "the people are ignorant because they do not vote for us." Strong opposition is the key to a functioning democracy, but Turkey still suffers from a lack of viable alternatives to the ruling party. The opposition base, too, remains aware of the incompetence of their political representatives. However, their dislike of Mr. Erdoğan often takes precedence over the need to address the shortcomings of their parties. As such, Mr. Erdoğan as a political figure serves as an effective instrument for the opposition leadership to discipline their base and keep a lid on discontent within their parties. In past elections, the opposition base and party organizations have made concessions to their leaders, citing the threat of Erdoğan accumulating greater power. Neither Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu nor Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chairman Devlet Bahçeli, however, have lived up to the expectations of their supporters. Similarly, the most recent local elections marked a memorable victory for Mr. Erdoğan, whose party won over 40 percent of the vote despite controversial legal action against the administration and illegally obtained sound recordings. A multitude of opinion polls indicate that the presidential election, which will take place on Sunday, Aug. 10, remains unlikely to have any positive influence on the political future of Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu and Mr. Bahçeli. If the official results match the projections, the vote will usher in the New Turkish period of construction. This weekend's presidential election could possibly entail a transition into a presidential system in Turkey and radically transform the opposition parties. As such, the people will not only decide which candidate will become the country's 12th president, but also provide a new road map for the opposition.Establishing a stronger democracy and improving the opposition's performance inevitably requires unsuccessful politicians to be held accountable for their shortcomings. In this sense, the opposition base has a responsibility to ask the tough questions about their leaders who have thus far invoked the threat of Erdoğan in an attempt to cover up their incompetence. The entire country, otherwise, will continue to pay the price for the opposition's poor performance.