Turkey’s Erdogan Is Down, But Don’t Count Him Out
The election upset of President Erdogan’s AK Party is just the start in a long fight for liberal democracy.
Turkish President and leader of Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan with his wife Emine Erdogan.
Photographer: ADEM ALTAN/AFPThis weekend’s election results in Turkey were astonishing, celebrated by hundreds of thousands of Turks as a victory for secularism, and by Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as a revival of liberal democracy that offers hope not just to his country, but across the world. Eventually, perhaps. This marks the beginning of a fight by opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not its triumph.
Let’s start with the reasons for hope, because for anyone who has believed in the extraordinary promise of a democratic and open Turkey, the last decade has been unremittingly dark. What this weekend’s municipal elections have proved is that even for the most successful populist leaders, the power of identity politics can be insufficient if they destroy the economy.