The Changing Faces of Populism in Türkiye: From “Inclusionary Populism” to “Exclusionary Populism”?

Year 2024, Volume: 33 Issue: 2, 225 - 239, 24.10.2024

Düzgün Arslantaş

https://doi.org/10.26650/siyasal.2024.33.1491666

Abstract

This study examines the evolving populist policies of the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AKP) since it gained power in 2002. Although populism was embedded in the AKP’s policies from the outset, this paper argues that the dominant form of the AKP’s populism has transformed from “inclusionary” to “exclusionary.” Specifically, in its early years, the AKP leadership implemented inclusive populist policies to overcome the threat of party closure and expand its voter base. This policy worked well in the first two terms, and the AKP’s vote share increased to 49% in the 2011 legislative elections. However, as the economic indicators deteriorated and the clientelist resources shrunk from the end of the second term onwards, the AKP gradually shifted towards exclusionary populism, which relied on deepening polarisation along religious and ethnic lines to consolidate its voter base. However, this strategy backfired and consolidated the opposition voters under the umbrella of the Republican Peoples Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi or CHP). Overall, the populist transformation of the AKP’s policies overlapped with the tightening of authoritarianism in the country.

Keywords

AKP, authoritarianism, clientelism, exclusionary populism, inclusionary populism

Türkiye'de Popülizmin Değişen Yüzü: "Kapsayıcı Popülizm"den "Dışlayıcı Popülizm"e mi?

Abstract

Bu çalışma Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi’nin (AKP) 2002 yılında iktidara geldikten sonra dönüşüme uğrayan popülist politikalarını analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Makalenin temel argümanı AKP’nin popülist politikalarının “kapsayıcılıktan”, “dışlayıcılığa” evrildiğidir. AKP’nin ilk dönemindeki kapsayıcı popülist politikalarının temel amacı parti kapatma tehdidinden kurtulma ve oy tabanını genişletme kaygısıdır. Ekonomik göstergelerdeki kötüleşme ve klientalist kaynakların azalmasıyla birlikte AKP yönetimi, dini ve etnik kutuplaşmanın derinleşmesine dayanan dışlayıcı popülizme kaymıştır. Son tahlilde, AKP’nin popülist dönüşümü ve ülkenin otoriter rejime sürüklenmesi paralellikler barındırmaktadır.

Keywords

AKP, dışlayıcı popülizm, kliyentalizm, kapsayıcı popülizm, otoriterlik

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