The Left in Turkey: Survival and Resistance Under Authoritarianism
The Left in Turkey: Survival and Resistance Under Authoritarianism

Author(s): Sevgi Adak
Subject(s): Government/Political systems, Electoral systems
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Turkey; survival; resistance; authoritarianism;
Summary/Abstract: What is the future of the left in Turkey? Any answer to this question will have to begin by reckoning with the failure of the opposition, including the left, in the last general and presential elections held in May 2023. 21 years into its rule, the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP), and its leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, secured yet another victory in arguably one of the most critical elections in the history of the country. This was a victory that was hard to explain at first sight. Turkey has been going through a terrible economic crisis, inflation at 85% at the end of 2022 and the Turkish lira hitting record lows. The country had also faced a devastating earthquake just three months earlier, which revealed, beyond doubt, the extent of the decay and corruption in public services in the state’s inadequate response, and the human and environmental costs of AKP’s economic policies. There were thus the conditions for mobilizing a strong opposition, especially a leftist one, which was also potentially best suited to appeal to the vast majority of the society who had to face a severe cost of living crisis on a daily basis.

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