Turkey’s 2023 Elections: Another Victory for Erdogan
| Published date | 01 September 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/20419058231198579 |
| Author | Umut Korkut,Tarik Basbugoglu,Osman Sahin |
| Date | 01 September 2023 |
16POLITICAL INSIGHT•SEPTEMBER 2023
Incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan was
widely expected to face an uphill battle
in the presidential and parliamentary
elections that took place in Turkey in May
2023. Inflation was officially riding at 55 per
cent, but the true figure was likely much
higher. Turkey was – and still is – facing the
largest current-account deficit in 40 years
and an 80 per cent fall in the value of the
Turkish lira against the dollar. The massive
earthquakes of February 2023, which
struck Turkey and Syria, left at least 55,000
people dead, 130,000 injured and millions
displaced. Furthermore, the cost of the
earthquakes was estimated to be at least
$34.2 billion, which put an already fragile
Turkey’s 2023
Elections: Another
Victory for Erdogan
Despite grave economic problems, Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdo
g
an successfully mobilised identity p olitics to win big in May’s
elections, write Umut Korkut, Tarik Basbugoglu and Osman Sahin.
economy on even more unstable footing.
Yet May’s elections brought a fresh victory
for Erdogan and his nationalist-conservative
alliance. Despite the ongoing economic
crisis in the country, the Turkish electorate
still preferred Erdogan and his Justice and
Development Party (AKP) to the opposition
alternative. To understand why Erdogan has
remained in power we need to understand
how he successfully mobilised identity
politics, even in the face of grave economic
problems. For millions of Turks, Erdogan
has constructed himself as the only leader,
© SOPA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Political Insight September 2023.indd 16Political Insight September 2023.indd 1614/08/2023 12:2414/08/2023 12:24
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