Turkey descends into ‘plain dictatorship’
President Erdogan defends decision to annul election result amid growing protest and international condemnation
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has welcomed a controversial decision to re-run Istanbul’s mayoral election, amid domestic protests and growing international condemnation.
Thousands of people gathered across Turkey’s most populous city following the country’s election authorities ruling on Monday to annul the Istanbul municipal vote, more than a month after an opposition candidate was elected as the city's mayor.
Ekrem Imamoglu, the CHP's candidate, was officially declared Istanbul's mayor by the city’s election authorities in mid-April after weeks of wrangling over the result. It followed a partial recount which saw him beat his rival by just 13,000 votes in a city of 10 million eligible voters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now, the country's Supreme Electoral Board (YSK) announced that the election would be re-run on 23 June, a decision the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) called an act of “plain dictatorship”.
Politico says Imamoglu's victory, combined with heavy loses from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), “had been heralded as the end of an era, with Erdogan's conservative political movement losing control of Istanbul for the first time in a quarter century”.
Since the 1990s, when Erdogan launched his political career there as mayor, the AKP and its predecessor have consistently won in Istanbul's local elections. Furthermore, CNN says Erdogan served as the face of AKP's local election campaigns this year, “and the elections were widely seen as a referendum on his government”.
However, if the opposition win was unexpected, the blow-back from the government has been more intense than even hardened opposition figures anticipated.
Erdogan has repeatedly called for the Istanbul election to be cancelled, alleging widespread “irregularities” in the vote. He has since doubled down on his claim the result had been rigged, telling a parliamentary meeting of his AKP on Tuesday that “thieves” had stolen the “national will” at the ballot box and re-doing the vote was the “best step” for the country.
“The YSK's ruling — made under intense pressure from the government — marks a turning point for Turkey” says Politico. “In past years, the country's elections were considered unfair but nevertheless competitive, an assumption now called into question by the decision to annul a previously validated opposition victory”.
The opposition sees the move by the electoral authorities as bowing to Erdogan’s pressure, but the BBC's correspondent Mark Lowen says the president was “never going to take the loss of Istanbul lying down”.
With 16 million residents, the city is “Turkey’s economic engine and controls a major chunk of public spending” reports The Guardian, and Erdogan has often claimed “whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey”.
“But it’s a strategy fraught with risk,” writes Lowen. “The Turkish lira - which has lost more than 30% over the past year - has slumped again. An economy in recession can hardly cope with more uncertainty. After all, it was economic woes that lost Istanbul for Erdogan in the first place”.
What's more, Imamoglu is continuing to gain popularity and a re-run could further widen his win and prove hugely embarrassing for Erdogan.
There is also the international implications of such a seemingly blatant attempt to re-cast a major election.
The European Parliament has said the ruling would end the credibility of democratic elections in Turkey, while the continent’s most powerful countries, Germany and France, have both come out strongly against the decision.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How Harris and Trump differ on education
The Explainer Trump wants to disband the Department of Education. Harris wants to boost teacher pay.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How to minimize capital gains tax on investments
The Explainer It can take a chunk out of your profits
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: November 4, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published