What’s next for Turkey? Lessons of the 2014 presidential elections

IIR Policy Paper (The Institute of International Relations) November 2014

Zoltán Egeresi *

The 2014 Turkish presidential elections have demonstrated that Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP were able to overcome their previous political crises during the last, one-year-long eventful period, and they were successful in continuing to mobilise their electorate. Erdogan’s victory at the presidential elections of 10 August 2014 may lead to the introduction of a presidential system and further centralization of power in Turkey. However, it can also be an overture for changes in the opposition. The EU has to keep being involved in Turkish domestic politics, especially in the democratization process, and support the emergence of a more plural Turkish political community.

* Zoltan Egeresi is a PhD candidate at Corvinus University of Budapest.

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