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Berk Esen & Görkem Yaz: Shaping Turkey’s Democratic Future - Episode 2: THE BATTLE FOR TURKEY'S OPPOSITION

Berk Esen & Görkem Yaz: Shaping Turkey’s Democratic Future - Episode 2: THE BATTLE FOR TURKEY'S OPPOSITION

Kreisky Forum Talks vor 4 Tagen

0:00

59:50

Cengiz Günay in conversation with Berk Esen and Görkem Yaz

In cooperation with Austrian Institute for International Affairs.

Shaping Turkey’s Democratic Future - Episode 2:THE BATTLE
FOR TURKEY'S OPPOSITION

Turkey has been in a multiparty democracy since 1945, but its
democratic development has repeatedly been interrupted by
military interventions and the suppression of political
opposition. Since Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development
Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, Turkey’s political system has
undergone a profound transformation, accompanied by growing
restrictions on press freedom, human rights and political
opposition.

The CHP’s landslide victory in the 2024 local elections raised
hopes that voters could still alter the political balance through
the ballot box. Yet the subsequent arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem
İmamoğlu, Erdoğan’s most prominent political challenger, and
increasing judicial pressure on the CHP such as the removal of
the party leadership by court ruling highlight that the regime
ready to reverse electoral defeat and reshape the political
playing field through an instrumental judiciary.

The panel will discuss, among other questions: Is Turkey crossing
the line from electoral democracy towards outright
authoritarianism? How much resistance can Turkish society and the
opposition mobilize? Can a divided opposition mount a credible
democratic challenge? And how resilient is Erdoğan’s increasingly
personalized system of power? Finally, what can the EU and
European political parties and civil society do to support
democratic institutions and Turkey’s parliamentary opposition –
and help preserve the possibility of genuine political
competition?

Participants:

Berk Esen, Sabanci University

Görkem Yaz, MetroPOLL Strategic and Social
Research Center

Moderators:

Cengiz Günay, Austrian Institute for
International Affairs – oiip