Crackdown on dissent highlights Turkey's drift from democracy
A recent decision to nullify a parliamentary vote and ongoing targeting of opposition lawmakers are further evidence of Turkey’s slide away from a democratic system.
A recent move by Turkey’s ruling party to override opposition in parliament, alongside an ongoing crackdown on dissent more broadly, has cast doubt on the path of Turkish democracy.
Since the Gezi Park protests in 2013, optimists have seen Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasing authoritarianism as part of a "transition period" or "dormant" democracy that could be awakened at any time. These hopeful perceptions form the basis of arguments that Erdogan’s days in office are numbered and that his story and era are almost over.
This, however, is wishful thinking. The reality is that Turkey has transitioned out of being a regime on the brink of authoritarianism into a fully authoritarian one.
In 2015, Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) could not achieve a parliamentary majority in June elections. As Fiona Hill, who served on President Donald Trump's National Security Council, explains, Erdogan forced a “re-run election” for November and used the time in between to even further marginalize the opposition and silence its voices. Erdogan then was able to reverse the results of an election that did not please the AKP.
