Justice and Development Party

Turkish local elections: opposition’s clear victory against Erdoğan could herald sea-change in country’s politics

Retrieved on:

onsdag, april 3, 2024

Justice and Development Party, Speech, Democracy, Republican, DEM, YRP, MHP, Religion, CHP, Politics, AKP, Identity, Nationalist Movement Party, Government

With Sunday’s hindsight, one can affirm the event has marked an unprecedented shift in recent Turkish politics.

Key Points:

With Sunday’s hindsight, one can affirm the event has marked an unprecedented shift in recent Turkish politics.
What made its victory historic is the extension of its influence beyond its traditional urban strongholds until areas long considered bastions of the ruling AKP.

Erdoğan’s party clings to strongholds

Indeed, the 31 March results highlight a significant shift within the right-conservative area too.
The success of the more extremist factions, represented by the Islamist Yeniden Refah Partisi (YRP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), shows discontent on both sides of Erdoğan’s electorate.
Conversely, those who chose not to renew their support for the AKP due to economic reasons have shifted toward the Republican People’s Party (CHP).

An outcome impacted by different factors

Several factors significantly influenced the outcome of the elections.
The economic situation took centre stage, with the opposition effectively highlighting the distinction between national economic issues and local governance achievements.
This decline predominantly reflected the dissatisfaction among Erdoğan’s party supporters, many of whom expressed discontent with the country’s economic trajectory.

A distinction between Erdoğan and his party

With Erdoğan not being a direct candidate, AKP’s supporters seemed to have made a distinction between the leader and the party.
Despite his indirect candidacy, the highly personalised campaign led by Erdoğan failed to energise his base, highlighting a desire for political renewal and change.
By taking action, they have helped create a more balanced political environment, reducing the dominance of any single extreme.

A strong democratic resilience

The CHP’s historic victory signals a shift in the political dynamics, with economic dissatisfaction, leadership renewal, and governance concerns driving a broad swath of the electorate toward the opposition.
While these elections have represented an unprecedented result for the opposition in Turkey, the post-election period will undoubtedly not be straightforward.
First, advancing a depolarising narrative aimed at bridging the traditional secularist-conservative divide that has characterised the Turkish electorate for years.

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Turkey will stop sending imams to German mosques - here’s why this matters

Retrieved on:

torsdag, februari 15, 2024

German Federal Archives, Archive, Muslims, Quran, Interior, Government, Learning, School, History, Policy, Knowledge, Justice and Development Party, Justice, Research, Film industry

For decades, the Turkish government has sent imams to work in mosques across Germany.

Key Points:

For decades, the Turkish government has sent imams to work in mosques across Germany.
Imams are sent to Germany on four- to six-year rotations, based on a long-standing agreement between the two governments.
German politicians have accused Turkish imams of spying on their flocks or abusing their positions to promote support for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party.

The ‘strategy’ of sending imams

It was only in the 1980s that the Turkish government began sending cohorts of imams abroad, after it had become evident that a large Turkish population was in Germany to stay.
One was to use state imams to create an alternative to Islamic groups active in Germany who opposed the secular Turkish state.
Sending imams abroad was an example of this strategy being exported to Turkey’s overseas diaspora.

Only Turkish imams for Germany

And they believed that imams employed by the Turkish state were guaranteed to be well-trained and moderate.
Already by the end of the 1980s, more than 500 Turkish state imams were active in Germany.
This meant that imams from Turkey or anywhere else in the world who wanted to work in Germany but were not employed by the Turkish government faced new hurdles.

Limits to the influence of Turkish state imams

Both governments assumed that Turkish state imams would be able to reshape German mosques, eliminate perceived extremism and ensure secular Islamic practice in Germany.
Those institutions did not disappear when competition in the form of Turkish state imams arrived.
Both now and then, many Muslims with Turkish roots choose to attend mosques with Turkish state imams, but many do not.

Imams trained in Germany?

In the coming years, imams trained in academies in Germany will replace more and more Turkish state imams as they end their rotations in Germany and return home.
According to this plan, the eventual result will be that only domestically trained, German-speaking imams will work in German mosques at some point in the near future.

Brian Van Wyck does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Turkey's presidential election – how Erdoğan defied the polls to head into runoff as favorite

Retrieved on:

måndag, maj 15, 2023

Incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has ruled the country for two decades, defied polls by coming closest.

Key Points:

Incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has ruled the country for two decades, defied polls by coming closest.
The Conversation asked Salih Yasun, an expert on Turkish politics at Indiana University, to talk us through the first-round results, and what will come next.

1) What happened in the first round of voting?

Turkish voters participated in two elections on May 14, 2023: one for the presidency and one for the nation’s parliament.
As of writing, 99.9% of ballot boxes have reported.
In the second round, whoever reaches 50% will become the president.
But Erdoğan is heading into the vote with a clear advantage and momentum, especially given that polls before the vote suggested he would come second in the first round.

2) Why did Erdoğan do better than predicted?

This is despite the fact that Erdoğan’s party, AKP, keeps losing popularity, particularly in metropolitan districts.
The percentage of nationwide support for AKP declined from 42.5% in 2018 to 35.6% in 2023.
However, Erdoğan manages to remain afloat by adding small Islamist and nationalist parties to his coalition.
Erdoğan uses state resources and his control over the judiciary and a significant portion of the media for his own advantage.
Turkish citizens suffered substantively during the coalition governments from 1990s through 2002 because of political instability and economic recession.

3) What happens next?

It could also further weaken the opposition, with indicators that the two main opposition parties may experience a leadership struggle.
Meanwhile, Turkish citizens will go to the ballot once again on March 31, 2024, for local elections.
The two main opposition parties previously nominated joint candidates, who succeeded in winning mayoral positions in key metropolitan areas.

After a brutal presidential election campaign, Turkey is headed to a run-off contest. Here's why

Retrieved on:

måndag, maj 15, 2023

Last weekend, Turkey held a historic election that will be crucial in deciding in the way the country is heading.

Key Points:

Last weekend, Turkey held a historic election that will be crucial in deciding in the way the country is heading.
To win the presidential component of the election, a candidate must garner more than 50% of the votes.

Who is Erdogan’s opposition and what were their arguments?

The broad opposition National Alliance is made up of six political parties, spearheaded by the Kilicdaroglu-led Republican People’s Party (CHP) party.
CHP is known for its pro-secularist policies, and for this reason have been fiercely opposed by the religious segment of Turkish voters.
To turn this image around, Kilicdaroglu promised a broad reconciliation policy to unite the country and heal the wounds of the past.
Holding the alliance together was important, as a key criticism against the opposition was its fragmented nature, which some argued would make it impossible to form a concerted front against Erdogan.
The National Alliance was fearful Ince’s candidacy would split opposition votes, which would in turn take the election to a second round that would advantage Erdogan.

What was Erdogan’s election strategy?

Turkey has one of the highest rates of detained and jailed journalists in the world – in fact, it is second only to China.
During April, Erdogan received more than 33 hours of airtime on the state-run TRT channel.
First was the secular history of CHP, established by Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and now led by Kilicdaroglu.
It seems the fear mongering strategy against Kilicdaroglu worked, and Erdogan will go to the runoff election ahead of his rival.

What is likely to happen next?

If 50+% gives political legitimacy, and Erdogan is the incumbent president, he lost some legitimacy by receiving less than 50% of the votes last weekend.
They cannot be too critical of Erdogan and support Kilicdaroglu for fear of a post-election crackdown if Erdogan wins.
But they would also not want to be seen as too supportive of the Erdogan government in case Kilicdaroglu wins the election.

Erdoğan has wrecked Turkey's economy – so what next?

Retrieved on:

fredag, maj 12, 2023

After years of currency crashes, vanishing foreign currency reserves and surging inflation, rethinking economic policy will be a top priority for whoever is sworn in after the vote on May 14.

Key Points:

After years of currency crashes, vanishing foreign currency reserves and surging inflation, rethinking economic policy will be a top priority for whoever is sworn in after the vote on May 14.
This produced sizeable productivity gains, and benefited large parts of society, significantly reducing inequality.
This encouraged investors to borrow cheaply and put money into emerging markets like Turkey in search of decent returns.

Choppy waters

This would become a defining characteristic of his regime, permeating through to all other aspects of governance.
Around the same time, international investors began pulling back from emerging markets as the US Federal Reserve started tightening monetary policy.
There have been several cycles of loosening and tightening since then, but the money hasn’t returned to Turkey.
Foreign ownership of Turkish government bonds has fallen from 25% in May 2013 to below 1% in 2023.
Investor concerns grew worse after a referendum in 2017 created an executive presidency that bestowed enormous powers on Erdoğan.

What next?

Turkey has been difficult over major issues such as Sweden and Finland joining Nato, recently yielding on Finland but continuing to object to Sweden.
With the EU the major destination for Turkey’s exports and hence source of hard cash, Ankara’s approach to the west could potentially soften under Erdoğan after the election.
On the other hand, the AKP’s election manifesto has not offered any novelty on the economic policy front.
It seems very unlikely that Erdoğan would change his stance on low interest rates, in which case the lira is likely to plunge further.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu: Turkey's opposition leader is leading in the polls, here's what you need to know

Retrieved on:

onsdag, maj 10, 2023

Turkish president, and previously prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is attempting to extend his 21-year rule, but the unified opposition candidacy is now consistently ahead the in the polls.

Key Points:

Turkish president, and previously prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is attempting to extend his 21-year rule, but the unified opposition candidacy is now consistently ahead the in the polls.
Many opposition parties agreed to nominate the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, as their candidate, overcoming previous divisions.
Kılıçdaroğlu has led the CHP since 2010, and has helped spearhead some of the opposition’s recent local election victories.

Erdoğan’s past and present

Undoing this process is a core policy for the alliance and was highlighted in the draft constitutional reform package they published last November.
This document proposes measures to prevent future leaders from accumulating power in the way Erdoğan did, as well as strengthening the independence of the judiciary.
Over the years, the AKP government has taken control of most media outlets in the country.
They also plan to change the threshold for parliamentary representation from 7% to 3% of the vote, to give smaller parties a chance.

Foreign policy shift

Turkey’s foreign policy could also undergo a significant change if Millet wins.
Turkey’s now warm relationship with Russia has also been a source of concern in western capitals.
They have pledged to restart the EU accession process, comply with ECHR rulings, and to abandon strategic positions at odds with their Nato alliance partners.
With consistently high inflation rates and a significantly devalued currency, economic constraints are felt through all parts of Turkish society.

In centennial year, Turkish voters will choose between Erdoğan’s conservative path and the founder’s modernist vision

Retrieved on:

tisdag, april 25, 2023

On May 14, 2023, voters will go to the polls for presidential and parliamentary elections, and in October, the country will celebrate the centennial of the Republic.

Key Points:

On May 14, 2023, voters will go to the polls for presidential and parliamentary elections, and in October, the country will celebrate the centennial of the Republic.
As a professor of political science, I have analyzed Turkish politics for many years.
The upcoming elections are truly historic because voters will choose which vision they prefer in the second centennial of Turkey – Erdoğan’s or Atatürk’s.

The presidential race

Four candidates are running in the forthcoming presidential race.
But public surveys suggest that it is a two-man race between President Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, founded by Atatürk.

Erdoğan and populist Islamism

This included many Kurds, members of an ethnic minority in Turkey, who want cultural recognition and therefore resisted Turkish nationalism.
By 2013, these groups succeeded in weakening Atatürkists’ grip on politics and the bureaucracy.
On the contrary, he has wooed nationalists to his populist Islamist regime.
And they share anti-Western attitudes, from promoting anti-Western conspiracy theories to proposing Turkey’s exit from NATO.

The Atatürkist alternative

As the leader of the CHP, Kılıçdaroğlu represents the Atatürkist alternative to Erdoğan’s populist Islamism.
Yet Kılıçdaroğlu has been an exception among the Atatürkist elite.
To oversee the economy, Kılıçdaroğlu is reportedly eyeing two candidates – a former economy minister and a University of Pennsylvania finance professor.

Candidates’ advantages and hurdles

Erdoğan will rely on aspects of the authoritarian administration he has built over the last two decades.
But Erdoğan faces hurdles related to his authoritarian style, too, particularly the many discontented citizens his 20-year rule has produced.
The ongoing economic crisis – with an inflation rate over 80% – is another hindrance to his reelection.
And his vote could take a hit from the fallout of the recent earthquake that killed over 45,000 people in Turkey.

A global impact?

An Erdoğan win will signal that the global rise of right-wing populists is still robust enough to dominate a leading Muslim-majority country.
A victory for Kılıçdaroğlu, meanwhile, may be celebrated by democrats worldwide as a defeat of a populist Islamist leader, despite his control over the media and state institutions.

Political Organizations Global Market Report 2022

Retrieved on:

fredag, april 22, 2022

DUBLIN, April 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The "Political Organizations Global Market Report 2022 by Organization, Scope and Services, Mode of donation, Organization Location" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Key Points:

DUBLIN, April 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The "Political Organizations Global Market Report 2022 by Organization, Scope and Services, Mode of donation, Organization Location" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
This report provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global political organizations market as it emerges from the COVID-19 shut down.
The political organizations market consists of revenue generated through political services by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that are engaged in promoting the interests of national, state, or local political parties or candidates.
The organization locations can be domestic, international and are segmented by scope and services into campaign organizations, constituency associations, local political organization, political action committees (PACS), political campaign organizations, political organizations and clubs, political parties, riding association.

AJC Leadership Delegation In Morocco Voices Support For Strengthened Ties With U.S., Israel

Retrieved on:

söndag, oktober 31, 2021

Tourism, Women's rights, Board of directors, History, Political Affairs (magazine), Policy, American Jewish Committee, Government, AJC, Justice and Development Party, Renewable energy, Kingdom, Muhammad, Majesty, Justice and Development Party (Morocco), Islamism, Medicine

"Days after installation of a government popularly elected last month, and as the first anniversary of Moroccan-Israeli normalization approaches, AJC came to Rabat and Casablanca to renew longstanding friendships, introduce ourselves to newly appointed ministers, and explore opportunities to strengthen ties with both the United States and Israel," said Isaacson.

Key Points:

"Days after installation of a government popularly elected last month, and as the first anniversary of Moroccan-Israeli normalization approaches, AJC came to Rabat and Casablanca to renew longstanding friendships, introduce ourselves to newly appointed ministers, and explore opportunities to strengthen ties with both the United States and Israel," said Isaacson.
AJC leaders paid a return visit to the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, whose curricula include instruction in the tenets of Judaism.
The AJC visit, a month after parliamentary elections that routed the Islamist governing Justice and Development Party, was widely covered in Moroccan and regional media.
The AJC delegation included Board of Governors member Gail Binderman and Director of Middle East and North Africa Initiatives Benjamin Rogers.