The 2023 Turkish election: a tale of two campaigns and the duel of populisms

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Yardımcı-Geyikçi, Şebnem and Yavuzyılmaz, Hakan (2024) The 2023 Turkish election: a tale of two campaigns and the duel of populisms. Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 24 (2). pp. 259-275. ISSN 1468-3857 (Print) 1743-9639 (Online)

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Abstract

The 2023 Turkish elections marked a historic juncture in the nation’s political trajectory. Amidst economic, social, and political upheavals, coupled with a devastating earthquake, the elections served as a decisive evaluation of the newly inaugurated presidential system. With the incumbent Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi–AKP) lagging in polls for the first time in over twenty years, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the People’s Alliance faced formidable opposition yet managed to score a victory in the second round. This article delves into the contrasting campaign strategies of the two leading candidates, Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. We argue that while Erdoğan’s campaign leaned on negative tactics and exclusionary populism, emphasizing counter-terrorism, identity politics, and regime maintenance, Kılıçdaroğlu’s strategy championed positive messaging buoyed by inclusive populism, spotlighting democratization, good governance, and regime change. Within an overarching competitive authoritarian context, these distinct strategies highlighted the intricate dynamics between campaign narratives and voter perception.
Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: competitive authoritarianism; negative campaigning; opposition; Populism; turkish elections
Divisions: Istanbul Policy Center
Depositing User: Hakan Yavuzyılmaz
Date Deposited: 23 Sep 2024 14:39
Last Modified: 23 Sep 2024 14:39
URI: https://research.sabanciuniv.edu/id/eprint/50055

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