The Road to Populism’s Defeat Runs Through Istanbul
The stinging defeat its upstart mayor just delivered to Turkey’s president holds lessons for the world.
Imamoglu points the way.
Photographer: Burak Kara/Getty Images EuropeHas Ekrem Imamoglu shown the world how to beat a populist? For liberals everywhere, the Istanbul mayor’s landslide victory was a starburst in a dark decade, during which their side has groped for a winning strategy against populist politics. Many will now parse the result for lessons that can be applied elsewhere.
Imamoglu’s win represents a major reversal for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, admired by populists worldwide for his domination of Turkish politics . If Erdogan can be bearded in his own den—he gained national attention as Istanbul’s mayor—then perhaps there’s hope for those who aspire to defeat populists… say, in the U.S. next year.