Rising competitive authoritarianism in Turkey

TLDR

Turkey has shifted from tutelary democracy to a competitive authoritarian regime since the Justice and Development Party came to power in 2002. The study seeks to substantiate the claim that Turkey has become a competitive authoritarian regime by examining the 2015 election cycles and broader political trends. The authors analyze detailed evidence from the 2015 elections and broader Turkish political developments to support this claim. The analysis confirms that elections are no longer fair, civil liberties are systematically violated, and the playing field is heavily skewed toward the ruling AKP, demonstrating Turkey’s evolution into a competitive authoritarian regime.

Abstract

Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002 Turkey has undergone double regime transitions. First, tutelary democracy ended; second, a competitive authoritarian regime has risen in its stead. We substantiate this assertion with specific and detailed evidence from 2015 election cycles, as well as from broader trends in Turkish politics. This evidence indeed confirms that elections are no longer fair; civil liberties are being systematically violated; and the playing field is highly skewed in favour of the ruling AKP. The June 2015 election results and their aftermath further confirm that Turkey has evolved into a competitive authoritarian regime.