Türkiye
Turkïye exhibits low-range performance across three of the categories of the Global State of Democracy framework (Rights, Rule of Law and Participation), and it performs in the mid-range with regard to Representation. It is among the bottom 25 per cent of countries in most factors of democracy performance. Over the last five years, Turkïye has experienced no notable shifts in performance. An upper-middle income country, Türkiye's economy is primarily characterized by its industrial and service sectors, although significant portions of its land are devoted to agriculture. Major exports include textiles, fabrics, iron and steel, as well as fruits, vegetables, and livestock.
Since its founding as a secular republic in 1923, the major cleavages in Turkïye include those between ethnic Turks and Kurds, its urban and rural population, and secularism and Islam. Kurds comprise about 20 per cent of the Turkish population, and since 1984 the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) has waged an intermittent armed campaign for Kurdish independence that has resulted in 30,000 to 40,000 deaths. Kurds face significant discrimination and the situation for Kurdish civilians has worsened since the onset of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) conflict against Turkïye. Many Kurdish efforts to advocate for their rights are viewed as support for PKK terrorism. Since Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) took power in 2002, the main political divide has been between mostly rural, conservative and religious Turks and their urban, liberal and secular counterparts. With the president and ruling party identifying explicitly with the former group, the latter have faced increasing restrictions, including barriers to civic activism following the 2013 Gezi park protests, and more active political interference in academia, higher education and the judiciary.
President Erdoğan has tightened his grip on power through the erosion of democratic institutions, including the appointment of loyalists in key positions in public administration, which he has used to suppress opposition and dissent. After an attempted coup in 2016, restrictions have increased and have included a two-year State of Emergency, mass purges and tens of thousands of arbitrary arrests, and a contested referendum that abolished the parliamentary system and concentrated power in the office of the president. Despite the end of the State of Emergency in 2018, most of its expanded state powers were prolonged via an anti-terror bill which was most recently renewed in July 2021. Since then, the country has been mired in a series of overlapping economic and financial crises.
Gender equality in Türkiye lags behind other OECD countries, marked by a significant gender gap in education, employment, and income. The growth of the female labour force has been slow. As of February 2024, women constitute only 20 per cent of the seats in parliament. Turkïye stands as the “leading global host of refugees,” currently accommodating nearly 4 million refugees, with approximately 3.6 million from Syria. While Turkïye provides them with basic rights and services, their situation remains precarious, making it challenging for many to sustain themselves. Anti-refugee sentiment exists in Turkïye, resulting in reports of detainment, coercion, and pushbacks.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch how opposition and civil society fare, especially in the aftermath of Erdoğan’s 2023 electoral victory. The government’s struggle to contain the country’s long-running economic crisis or integrate Syrian refugees will also be important to watch for impacts on Rights. Other key indicators to watch moving forward are Rights (Civil Liberties, particularly Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Association and Assembly), Credible Elections, and Rule of Law (Absence of Corruption and Judicial Independence).
Monthly Event Reports
March 2024 | Erdoğan’s AKP suffers worst electoral blow in local elections
In the local elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) suffered its worst electoral defeat in two decades. The main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), won 37.7 per cent of the vote. It thus surpassed the AKP, which obtained 35.5 per cent of the national vote. While the result marks a significant expansion of CHP's influence beyond its urban strongholds to areas once dominated by the AKP, it remains to be seen if it is a longer term shift that significantly changes the political landscape. CHP won 36 out of 81 municipalities, including mayoral victories in Turkey’s five largest cities: Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, and Antalya. Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu won by the widest margin seen in 40 years, reaffirming the opposition's strength and solidifying his position as Erdoğan's primary rival. In 2022, Imamoglu was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison and was banned from political activity through a Turkish court verdict, which he has since appealed, with the ruling still pending. Elections saw a near-tripling of female mayors, with women now holding office in 11 out of 81 provinces, up from four in 2019, including five major urban centers. Voter turnout was around 78 per cent, down from 84.3 per cent in 2019.
November 2023 | Judicial crisis looms over release order for jailed MP
The Supreme Court of Cassation filed a criminal complaint against the Constitutional Court, claiming it “exceeded its authority” over a ruling ordering the immediate exoneration of a jailed opposition MP. In response, opposition parties and legal experts, including the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, have accused the Supreme Court of Cassation of staging a judicial “coup” after failing to comply with the ruling and ensuring the MP’s release. In April 2022, Worker’s Party MP and human rights lawyer, Can Atalay, was one of seven civil society leaders sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of “assisting the overthrow of the government” for his role in the Gezi Park protests in 2013, in which Atalay served as lawyer for activist association Taksim Solidarity. Atalay applied for legislative immunity after he was elected to Parliament in May 2023. On 25 October, the Constitutional Court found that Atalay's right to “personal liberty and security” and right to engage in political activities had been violated. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the Constitutional Court’s decision and called for a new constitution.
September 2023 | Appeals court upholds life sentence for Osman Kavala
On 28 September the court of cassation, the Supreme Court of Appeals, upheld human rights defender Osman Kavala’s life sentence in prison. He was originally sentenced in April 2022 after being held in detention since 2017 for alleged involvement in anti-government protests in 2013. The 2022 ruling also included 18-year sentences for seven others, three of which were overturned. The appeals court decision has been widely condemned by human rights organisations, which coordinated by Human Rights Watch, have issued a statement describing it as a “political show trial” and a punishment “for the legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly”. In 2019 the European Court of Human Rights ruled the detentions to be unlawful and requested that the seven detainees be freed, launching infringement proceedings against the country in 2022 after it failed to abide by the judgement. Türkiye may now face suspension from the Council of Europe.
July 2023 | Residents protest logging of Akbelen forest
Locals are protesting the clearing of 740,000 square meters of forest in Akbelen for a coal mine owned by YK Energy, a company with ties to the ruling Justice and Development (AKP) party. The protests are led mostly by women, who have defended the forest from logging for years, arguing for its importance in sustaining their community. Security forces have responded violently with tear gas and water cannons, making at least 40 arrests. Journalists and local politicians trying to enter the forest have been fined or arrested. Two delegations of MPs, one from the leading opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the other from the Green Left Party (YSP) were barred from visiting the site. Over 300 civil society organizations have expressed their support for the protests, and human rights groups have labelled the logging as an infringement of the right to live in a “safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.” Nonetheless, after a week, the area was cleared.
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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022
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