2002–15: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and a Democracy Dismantled

The electoral victory of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (Justice and Development Party, AKP) in 2002 marked the end of Turkey's turbulent political landscape of the 1990s and early 2000s. While significant democratic reforms initially characterised the AKP's first term, Erdoğan's leadership gradually became increasingly authoritarian as he consolidated power within the party. This chapter examines how the election of key AKP figure Abdullah Gül as president removed a critical institutional check on the AKP government, enabling the party to implement anti-democratic legislation with little resistance. The AKP further dismantled the military’s long-held political tutelage through controversial trials such as Ergenekon and Balyoz , while the 2010 constitutional amendments—authoritarian in nature—granted Erdoğan substantial influence over the judiciary. The media, traditionally a check on government power, was systematically silenced, with critical voices suppressed and independent outlets persecuted. Following Erdoğan's third consecutive electoral victory in 2011, the Assembly effectively transitioned into a rubber-stamp body, facilitating his expanding personalised rule. This chapter demonstrates how Erdoğan’s leadership systematically eroded Turkey's democratic institutions, paving the way for a complete political takeover and the consolidation of an authoritarian regime.