Formal yet ineffective opposition coordination under competitive authoritarianism: nation alliance in Turkey

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2024.2438303

Pre-electoral opposition coordination is the most effective strategy to counter contemporary forms of autocratisation. While scholars have recently begun to explore the factors that lead to the formation of pre-electoral alliances in competitive authoritarian regimes, the high variation in terms of their composition and effectiveness is generally neglected in the existing scholarship. There is a lack of research on why some inter-party coalitions have limited effectiveness in the electoral arena while others nominate optimal candidates through routinised and transparent procedures and run cohesive campaigns. Through a detailed analysis of the Nation Alliance (2018–2023) in Turkey, we argue that in the context of high regime vulnerability, power asymmetry between alliance partners and a high level of leadership control over candidate nomination in opposition parties hinder the potential effectiveness of formal pre-electoral alliances.