By Amber

In Türkiye today, speaking out against the president can land you in prison; reports show that approximately 1,879 individuals were detained during recent demonstrations. Under president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, there has been a large imbalance of power between the government and the people, with political instability spreading throughout the nation. The country is gradually shifting from a democratic society to an autocratic one with the ongoing loss of civil liberties. Erdoğan has risen to dominate the entire political system, ensuring nobody gets in his way, and his growth highlights the eroding democracy within the country and the ambiguity regarding the future of Türkiye.

On May 19th 1881, the founding father of Turkey was born. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, grew up in Salonica during the Ottoman Empire and experienced the empire’s decline first hand. Eventually, he was able to rally the Turkish nationalists against foreign occupation, which then led to the War of Independence 1919-1922. As a result, October 29th 1923, the Republic of Türkiye was declared with Mustafa as inaugural president, “Atatürk” (father of the Turks). He was able to modernize and secularize: abolishing the ottoman caliphate and segregating religion from politics. Additionally, he pursued neutrality and diplomatic relations with global powers. The democratic origins of Türkiye and his values and influence have inspired many people to this day.

In 2002, Recep Tayyip Erdogan became president of Türkiye and from then onwards it all went downhill. Before his presidency he was convicted in 1998 for inciting religious hatred and was banned from politics.

However despite his restrictions he remained influential and formed the AKP, a political conservative party. At the beginning of his term, he managed to pull Türkiye out of poverty and there was talk of joining the European Union (EU) with Türkiye’s promising growth and development. However, these changes were not permanent. He removed some of Türkiye’s secular laws and continuously brings more conservative and authoritarian policies through a tightly controlled parliament, close family and friends in key ministerial positions and a heavily regulated media, in the end.

Majority of the Turkish citizens were against his new system of ruling and values and have publicly stood up against the government. In 2013, a small group of environmentalists were protesting in Gezi Park against the plan of getting rid of one of the few green spaces in Istanbul to turn it into a shopping mall. These protests began small but transitioned into a scene of police brutality. As the number of protesters grew, the police began using tear gas, water cannons, plastic bullets and set fire to their tents. There were 8,163 injuries and 22 killed: this was a significant event for Türkiye and its people. In 2016 there was a failed coup attempt by Erdogan’s long trusted ally, Fethullah Gulen, a religious figure with access to great international funding, resulting in 337 military officers given life sentences after attempting to overthrow President Erdogan. However this coup attempt was another making of Erdoğan’s political plans letting Gulen infiltrate the Turkish army and demobilise its secular standing. A successful event for Erdoğan’s further rise to power was the 2017 constitutional referendum.

This essentially resulted the switch of power from parliament to president. All these events were vital in signalling the shift in governmental rule and the effect it had on their society.

Recently, on 19th March, in preparation for the upcoming election, Erdoğan’s main rival Ekrem Imamoğlu with majority backing him in Istanbul elections against Erdoğan was put in prison for alleged ties to PKK, these unsubstantiated, bribery, money laundering, and had his diploma annulled meaning he is no longer able to run for president. The belief is that the imprisonment before proven guilty and without evidence is politically motivated and evidently shows a repeating pattern of political suppression. Erdoğan will not let anything get in his way of presidency.

Additionally, he has not only affected Türkiye politically but also economically. Inflation and devaluation have devastated the lives of many. This has been a continuous process throughout his 22 years of presidency and has left the economy crumbling. Millions and millions have been boycotting government policies and research shows that there have been mass cash withdrawals from banks, all as a form of protest against the financial crisis which is affecting the people. The government restrictions on media and censorship of the press has limited the public’s access to information.

These last few years has had a significant impact on Turkish citizens, particularly with increased emigration. In 2023, 100,000 Turkish citizens applied for asylum in EU countries which was an 82% increase from the previous year and in total 714,579 people (according to Turkish minute) were migrating. Every year, hundreds of thousands leave Türkiye as a result of the political and economic issues, in hope for better living conditions.

Unfortunately, there is not much press coverage from first world countries on regards to this matter. Türkiye holds a prime position in the world geopolitical scene with its second largest NATO army in Europe, young population and rich in resources, agriculture with a strong industry. It could be argued that Turkey’s government has not received sanctions from foreign organisations and developed countries because volatility in Middle east happens to serve agendas, such as the Great Middle Eastern initiative*.

We wait to see generations long love and respect for Ataturk will allow for the Turkish republic to stand on its foundations and prosper and overcome the threats.