RIP, Turkish Democracy
With his iron fist, President Erdogan has crushed a decades-long period of free and fair elections in Turkey
BY: Aaron Kliegman
May 7, 2019 6:36 pm
In May 1950, the ruling political party in Turkey, which had governed for 27 straight years, held a free and fair election and lost—badly. Rather than contest—or worse, ignore—the results, the Republican People's Party handed over power to the victorious opposition. There was no bloodshed, no attempt to hold onto power. A deeply entrenched, somewhat authoritarian government that had dominated a one-party state for years allowed the democratic process to work. It was certainly a first in Turkish history, and one would be hard-pressed to find a previous, comparable example in all of Middle Eastern history. Sure, Turkey experienced volatile politics over the next several decades, but it continued to hold free and fair elections under the principle of one person, one vote. And 1950 was the hinge point. Sixty-nine years after that milestone, however, the period of Turkish democracy has effectively ended.
More:RIP, Turkish Democracy
