Today's Edition
AHMED MURAD (ANKARA, CAIRO)
The year 2023 marked a pivotal moment in Turkey’s history, witnessing several prominent events, most notably the presidential elections coinciding with the centenary of the Republic of Turkey’s establishment on October 30, 1923.
The electoral marathon held on May 14, 2023, saw three candidates vying for the presidential seat: the “People’s Alliance” candidate, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; the “Nation Alliance” candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu; and the “ATA Alliance” candidate, Sinan Oğan.
For the first time, Turkish presidential elections saw the birth of an era of political alliances, signalling the end of single-party dominance. This shift is expected to reflect in future presidential, legislative, and municipal elections.
The results of the presidential race saw President Erdogan receiving 49.5% of the votes, Kılıçdaroğlu 44.9%, and Oğan 5.5%, leading to a historic presidential runoff between Erdogan and Kılıçdaroğlu.
The runoff on May 28, 2023, was Turkey’s most fiercely contested electoral event in its history, with President Erdogan securing a third presidential term with 52.12% of the total votes, against Kılıçdaroğlu’s 47.88%.
Erdogan’s third term, extending until 2028, represents his final term under the 2017 constitutional amendments, which shifted Turkey’s governance system from parliamentary to presidential.
President Erdogan first assumed power in 2004 as prime minister and later became president, gaining extensive executive powers following the 2017 political system amendment. Over the past two decades, he has driven Turkey’s economy to the 11th rank globally and bolstered its political and diplomatic influence regionally and globally.
Erdogan’s third-term victory precedes the grand celebration in October 2023, commemorating the centenary of the Republic of Turkey’s founding. This event marks the inauguration of a new phase towards the aspirations of the second centenary, embodied in the vision of “Turkey in the Second Century.” This vision includes implementing major projects like the Istanbul Canal and the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, aiming to position Turkey among the top 10 global economies.
With intentions to draft a new constitution suitable for the next hundred years, replacing the amended 1982 constitution, Erdogan’s parliamentary majority facilitates the passing of laws and government formation. On June 3, 2023, he announced a new government with 17 ministers, including 15 new appointees, in what is described as the largest ministerial reshuffle, affecting key portfolios such as defence, interior, and foreign affairs.
In the 28th parliamentary elections held on May 15, 2023, the ruling “Justice and Development” party won 268 seats, with the “Republican People’s Party” securing 169 seats. Other parties like the “Green Left,” “Nationalist Movement,” “Good Party,” “New Welfare,” and “Workers’ Party” also gained representation.
Karam Saeed, a specialist in Turkish affairs at the Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, remarked to Aletihad that the May 2023 Turkish presidential elections were among the most significant in Turkey’s first century. The elections’ repercussions, both domestically and internationally, are expected to influence Turkey’s political landscape for years, pushing towards a policy of zeroing crises and conflicts, and strengthening rapprochement with various countries, including resolving contentious issues with Western powers.
