Turkey's electoral authority has given in to presidential pressure: Istanbul's mayoral election will be rerun — and overseen largely by Erdogan's henchmen. DW's Erkan Arikan says Turkish democracy is dead.
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Image: Getty Images/C. McGrath
For Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, defeats are out of the question. Especially when it comes to Istanbul — about which he once famously said "Whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey. Whoever loses Istanbul, loses Turkey." Municipal elections were held nationwide on March 31, and despite the strongman president's objections and a two-week recount, Istanbul went to the opposition. Yet it was clear that the official results weren't the end of the story for the metropolis on the Bosporus.
Even though the victor in the mayoral race, Ekrem Imamoglu of the opposition Social Democrats (CHP), has already received his appointment certificate, Erdogan and his conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) have pulled out all the stops so as not to lose in the city of over 15 million. Now, after the president's party has claimed certain district results were too tight to be conclusive, a new election is to be held to ensure there are no more alleged ballot discrepancies. But here's where it gets interesting: This time, the electoral scrutineers will not be state officials. What's even more interesting: Most of these scrutineers are members of Erdogan's AKP.
Though there were more than just discrepancies in past elections, the Supreme Electoral Council has always rejected all opposition complaints. This time, the procedure is different — and that alone is indicative of the state of democracy in Turkey.
Why has the Supreme Electoral Council recognized the AKP's complaint? Why was the decision adjourned three times? How are the stock markets reacting to the announcement? There are no answers! There is only speculation. The country's highest electoral authority could not stand up to pressure from the president. And incidentally, the decision of the high electoral council is final and cannot be challenged.
Food for thought: It's Ramadan
Announcing the decision today was no accident — it was clearly intentional, and it was tactically wise. On this, the first day of Ramadan, there are no crowds on the streets to protest. Moreover, presenting a decision in the evening, after the financial markets close, indicates that the authorities hope they can avoid a massive reaction that will worsen the country's already dire economic situation. Far from it — economic experts have already speculated in recent days that the Turkish lira will dramatically drop in value relative to the euro and dollar should the elections be repeated.
Amidst all this uncertainty, one thing is clear: No matter what is chosen on June 23, democracy has already lost in Turkey.
Charting Turkey's slide towards authoritarianism
Turkey's shift towards authoritarianism has been over 10 years in the making. However, in the aftermath of the failed 2016 military coup, President Erdogan and the AKP have accelerated their consolidation of power.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O.Weiken
July 2007: Abdullah Gul becomes Turkey's first Islamist president
After years of free market reforms, Turkey's transition slowly begins to reverse. Islamist Abdullah Gul's candidacy as president in 2007 marks a clear shift away from secularist policies, and strains relations between the ruling AKP and the military. However, with broad support from both conservative Muslims and liberals, the AKP wins the parliamentary elections and Gul is elected president.
Image: A.Kisbenede/AFP/GettyImages
September 2010: Constitutional reforms take hold
Then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tables a constitutional reform increasing parliamentary control of the judiciary and army, effectively allowing the government to pick judges and senior military officials. The amendment, which is combined with measures also aimed at protecting child rights and the strengthening of the right to appeal, passed by a wide margin in a public referendum.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Tumer
May 2013: Dissent erupts in Gezi Park
Pent-up anger directed by young people at Erdogan, Gul and the Islamist-rooted AKP hits a boiling point in May 2013. The violent police breakup of a small sit-in aimed at protecting Istanbul's Gezi Park spurs one of the fiercest anti-government protests in years. Eleven people are killed and more than 8,000 injured, before the demonstrations eventually peter out a month later.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca
July 2015: Turkey relaunches crackdown against Kurds
A fragile ceasefire deal between the Turkish government and the Kurdish rebel PKK group breaks under the weight of tensions aggravated by the war in Syria. Military forces resume operations in the mostly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. In early 2016, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) — a breakaway PKK faction — claim responsibility for two bombings in Ankara, each killing 38 people.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/M. Coban
July 2016: Military coup attempt falls short
A military coup attempt against the government shakes Turkey to its core and briefly turns the country into a war zone. Some 260 civilians die in overnight clashes with the army across five major cities. Erdogan, however, rallies supporters and the following morning rebel soldiers are ambushed by thousands of civilians on the Bosporus Bridge. The troops eventually drop their guns and surrender.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T.Bozoglu
July 2016: President Erdogan enacts a state of emergency
In the aftermath of the failed coup, Erdogan announces a state of emergency, leading to arrests of tens of thousands of suspected coup sympathizers and political opponents. Among those detained are military and judiciary officials and elected representatives from the pro-Kurdish HDP party. The purge is later expanded to include civil servants, university officials and teachers.
Image: Reuters/U. Bektas
2016: Crackdown on the press
As part of Erdogan's crackdown against supposed "terrorist sympathizers," Turkey becomes one of the world's leading jailers of journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. The government shuts down around 110 media outlets in the year following the coup and imprisons more than 100 journalists, including German-Turkish correspondent Deniz Yücel.
Image: Getty Images/S.Gallup
March 2017: AKP officials try to stoke support in Western Europe
With a referendum on expanding Erdogan's presidential powers set for April 2016, AKP officials look to galvanize support among Turks living in Europe, particularly in Germany and the Netherlands. However, the Netherlands forbids Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from landing in the country, while Germany opts to cancel two rallies. Erdogan accuses both countries of Nazi-style repression.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/AA/S.Z. Fazlioglu
April 2017: Erdogan clinches referendum vote
Erdogan narrowly wins the referendum vote expanding his power. As a result, Turkey's parliamentary system is abolished in favor of a strong executive presidency. Erdogan is also allowed to remain in power potentially until 2029. However, international election monitors claim that opposition voices were muzzled and that media coverage was dominated by figures from the "yes" campaign.
Image: Reuters/M. Sezer
June 2018: Election wins secure Erdogan's power
Erdogan secures a new five-year term and sweeping new executive powers after winning landmark elections on June 24. His AKP and their nationalist allies also win a majority in parliament. International observers criticize the vote, saying media coverage and emergency measures gave Erdogan and the AKP an "undue advantage" in the vote.
