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Erdoğanism (Turkish:Erdoğancılık) refers to the political ideals and agenda of Turkish president and former prime minister,Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,[1] who became prime minister in 2003 and served until his election to the Presidency in 2014. With support significantly derived fromcharismatic authority, Erdoğanism has been described as the "strongest phenomenon inTurkey sinceKemalism" and used to enjoy broad support throughout the country until the2018 Turkish economic crisis which caused a significant decline in Erdoğan's popularity.[2][3][4]
Its ideological roots originate fromTurkish conservatism and its most predominant political adherent is the governingJustice and Development Party (AK Parti), a party that Erdoğan himself founded in 2001. It is seen by some as aThird Way ideology.[5][6][7]
As a personified version ofconservative democracy, key ideals of Erdoğanism include a religious inspired strong centralised leadership based primarily on electoral consent and less so on theseparation of powers and institutionalchecks and balances.[8] Critics have often referred to Erdoğan's political outlook asauthoritarian and as anelective dictatorship. The election-centric outlook of Erdoğanism has often been described as anilliberal democracy by foreign leaders, such as Hungarian Prime MinisterViktor Orbán.[9][10]
Erdoğanism is also strongly influenced by the desire to establish a 'New Turkey', departing from the founding Kemalist principles of the Turkish Republic and abolishing key enshrined constitutional ideals that are at odds with Erdoğan's vision, such assecularism.[11] Supporters of Erdoğanism often call for a revival of cultural and traditional values from theOttoman Empire and are critical of the pro-western social reforms and modernisation initiated by the founder of the Turkish Republic,Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Grassroots support for Erdoğanism mainly originates from the development of acult of personality around Erdoğan, as well as the predominance of charismatic authority. The role of Erdoğan personified as an individual agent of Turkish conservative values has manifested itself in the form of prominent campaign slogans for the Turkish Presidential election such as "Man of the nation", translated in Turkish as "Milletin Adamı".
The term'Erdoğanism' first emerged shortly after Erdoğan's2011 general election victory, where it was predominantly described as the AK Party'sconservative democratic ideals fused with Erdoğandemagoguery and cult of personality.[12] The usage of the term increased in conjunction with a greater recognition of Erdoğan on the global stage, mostly due to his proactive foreign policy ideals based onNeo-Ottomanism, a core factor that Erdoğanism encompasses.[13]
Mustafa Akyol has conceived Erdoğanism as an ideology fundamentally based on acult of personality around Erdoğan, referring to it as a form of populist authoritarianism similar to that ofPutinism inRussia. Akyol also describes the glorification of theOttoman Empire,Pan-Islamism,Turkish nationalism, suspicion of western political intervention in theMiddle East, the rejection ofKemalism, and confinement of the democratic process and elections as key attributes of Erdoğanism.[14] For other scholars the anti-Kemalist political direction is equaled with anti-Westernism.[15]
Though elements of Erdoğanism, particularly the political rhetoric used by its supporters, have been inspired fromIslamism, the extensive cult of personality surrounding Erdoğan has been argued to have isolated hardline Islamists who are sceptical of his dominance in state policy. The central and overarching authority of Erdoğan, a central theme of Erdoğanism, has been criticised by Islamists who believe that devotion of followers should not be towards a leader, but rather toAllah and the teachings of Islam.[16] As such, the overarching dominance of Erdoğan has furthered Islamist criticism, particularly by Islamist parties such as theFelicity Party (SP), who have claimed that Erdoğanism is not based on Islamism but is instead based onauthoritarianism using religious rhetoric to maintain public support amongst the conservative base of the electorate.[17][18]
