Publication

This paper looks at the outcome of the 2014 municipal elections in Turkey, in which Prime-Minister Erdogan’s AKP party gained a clear victory. The author suggests that the 2013 political protests against Erdogan as well as a corruption scandal involving his party were not able to tarnish the Prime Minister's popularity. He suggests that this is because a large portion of the country connects Erdogan with an improvement in the economy. He also suggests that the AKP win could lead to a continuation of Erdogan's authoritarian style of administration and further polarization in the country.