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Critical centennial elections in Turkey
May 25, 2021Turkey’s 2023 elections, which will take place on the republic’s centennial, will be the most critical election in the history of Turkish democracy. You may disagree with that statement, recalling that past elections have been described the same way. You may add that commentators have talked about “historic” elections countless times since 2013.
Turkey’s 2023 elections, which will take place on the republic’s centennial, will be the most critical election in the history of Turkish democracy. You may disagree with that statement, recalling that past elections have been described the same way. You may add that commentators have talked about “historic” elections countless times since 2013.
For the record, you would be absolutely right. Turkey experienced a tense decade in politics and consumed every possible statement. The country has seen so much.
The Gezi Park riots, the judicial coup attempt, the July 15 coup attempt, the transition to presidentialism, the war on terror, such as against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), Daesh and the PKK, military incursions into Syria and Iraq and bold moves in Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh and the Eastern Mediterranean immediately come to mind.
Keeping all those developments in mind, I still posit that the 2023 election will be the most critical vote in Turkey’s history. I will provide a list of reasons. You be the judge.
Here’s why
First, the Turkish people will elect a leader and political parties that will mold the republic’s second century. At the same time, we will decide whether Turkey should remain committed to raising its international profile.
In other words, we will choose between consolidating the foreign policy moves of the past six years or giving up on Turkish national objectives and ambitions in the name of conformity.
Secondly, the 2023 election will be an exceptional event, because President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) charismatic leader, will run for office one l
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