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.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his Justice and Development Party's meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara on Feb. 10, 2021.
April 11, 2021
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.