Turkey Under the AKP: The Era of Dominant-Party Politics

The paper analyzes the main factors leading to the Justice and Development Party’s 2011 electoral victory and proposes that the party’s ability to engage with the Turkish public and its effective governance are the main reasons behind its electoral successes. The AKP’s position could be characterized by “electoral hegemony,” yet it seems that the AKP’s power—which stems from its transformative role in Turkey’s modernization and foreign policy—has not yet paved the way to the consolidation of democracy. The AKP’s ability to put together a societal consensus is thus critical in a Turkish politics characterized by a dominant party and a weak opposition.