Tayyip Erdogan finally won the Presidential elections on May 28, Sunday. In doing so, he won 52% of the votes. This is the third time Tayyip Erdogan will become the President of Turkey.
It was an unexpected victory for Erdogan. Many political observers had anticipated a defeat for the ruling party. Turkey is witnessing high inflation and an influx of millions of refugees from Syria. The country’s economy also suffered from a major earthquake a few months back.
Riding on nationalism
Turkey is a secular state and its guiding principles were laid down by Kamal Pasha a hundred years back. Pasha considered everyone a Turkish and religious differences didn’t matter to him.
However, Erdogan’s pitch in these elections focused on Islam and ‘outsiders’. His call for nationalism excluded all those who aren’t Turkish by origin. Erdogan also allied with an ultra-nationalist party that said only Muslims deserve to be called Turkish. That said, Erdogan didn’t abandon Ataturk’s guiding principles entirely during the recently held elections.
Why did Erdogan win?
There were two alliances in the 2023 Turkey elections – Nation and Republic. Erdogan’s alliance was Republic.Nation comprises several parties, ranging from social democrats to Islamists. However, this rainbow alliance failed to convince the electorate how it would govern the country. On the other hand, since the Turks already knew the working style of Erdogan, they voted him back.
Tayyip Erdogan is significant to NATO’s politics in several ways. He has successfully negotiated a deal with Ukraine which allows Kyiv to ship wheat to the rest of the world. Erdogan also enjoys good relations with Russia despite the latter being a member of NATO. This places Turkey in a key role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, Turkey’s economic crisis will be a major challenge for Erdogan as President of Turkey.
Also read: PM Modi Flags Off Northeast’s Vande Bharat Express, Igniting Connectivity and Tourism Boost
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER
