Opposing autocratization in Turkey: from exclusionary to inclusive discourse

Abstract

This study explores the changing discourse of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Turkey as it confronts a populist authoritarian government. By analyzing and contrasting discourses used in election campaigns and protests and focus group discussions it investigates opposition’s role in fueling or challenging the polarizing populist narrative of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). This paper argues that autocratization is a dynamic process in which opposition parties play an active role, contributing to and opposing autocratization simultaneously, rather than being mere victims of the process. It claims that the CHP’s electoral and discursive strategy has shifted gradually under Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s leadership since 2010. Unlike the previous exclusionary discourse that legitimized the AKP’s polarizing, populist narrative, the party has adopted an inclusive discourse that has contributed to its victory in the 2019 local elections.