The AKP’s Trajectory Until the Referendum on the Presidential System: Regime Building in Turkey (2002–2017)

Abstract

The Turkish voters narrowly voted in favour of constitutional changes at the referendum on 16 April 2017, which turns the country from a parliamentary to a presidential republic. The contested results put the state of democracy, the issue of authoritarianism and the societal polarisation in Turkey in the limelight. This analysis makes an attempt to address these issues and outline the trajectory of the Justice and Development Party from an allegedly pro-EU party threatened by political, especially Kemalist adversaries to be banned to a more disputed political actor accused of weakening its opposition, the rule of law and having authoritarian tendencies. The opus also describes the various elements of its success, how the AKP’s electoral hegemony was built and how it is maintained. It also examines the transformation of the judicial and media landscape of the country since 2002. Finally, the paper highlights the outcome of the constitutional amendments and their significance for the future of Turkey.