Ertuğ Tombuş — From Autocrat to Lesser Evil: The Dilemma of Democratic Transition in Turkey
Автор: Institute for Global Reconstitution
Загружено: 2025-01-10
Просмотров: 15
Ertuğ Tombuş (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Countries like Turkey, which have experienced significant transformations toward autocratic
governance and the erosion of democratic institutions, face a critical challenge: How can democratic forces successfully replace autocrats and achieve democratic change? Elections, though constrained by unequal access to resources and systemic biases favoring incumbents, are often viewed as a hopeful avenue for transformation. Yet, opposition parties frequently present themselves as the only alternative to the worst-case scenario, offering voters a 'lesser evil' rather than a genuine democratic alternative. These opposition groups, with their own autocratic tendencies and undemocratic policies, may bring about a change in leadership but not necessarily a change toward democracy, perpetuating an authoritarian cycle that blocks true transformation.
A dominant strategy to unseat the autocrat in power, for example, has been the formation of broad pre-election coalitions, including parties with questionable or non-existent democratic credentials. This approach prioritizes the removal of the autocrat over addressing critical democratic demands, assuming that a focus on democracy can be delayed until after the authoritarian establishment is dismantled. Democratic forces must compromise with undemocratic actors, or they risk being blamed for electoral failure.
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