This assessment paper analyses the possible effects of the upcoming March 2019 elections on the political system and the trajectory of the Kurdish issue within this framework. The author argues that due to the securitization of Turkey’s dominant political discourse, the March 2019 local elections will be dominated by a discourse of besiegement and will unlikely produce a change in power due to the strategic interdependence of the AKP and MHP, and the current ideological unity of the two parties. The possibilities for a resolution of the Kurdish issue in the context of both current political dynamics with Turkey and regional developments, particularly in Syria, are also considered in this paper. This report was prepared for DPI by Ali Bayramoğlu. The author is a distinguished writer and political commentator. He is a member of DPI’s Council of Experts and a former member of the Wise Person’s Committee in Turkey. The views and opinions expressed in this assessment are his own and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DPI.