Anti-Erdoğanism is a political movement in opposition to

Erdoğanism Erdoğanism () refers to the political ideals and agenda of Turkish president and former prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who became prime minister in 2003 and served until his election to the Presidency in 2014. With support significantly ...

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

, and Erdoğanists. Anti-Erdoğanism has a presence in every Turkish political faction, ranging from the

far-left Far-left politics, also known as extreme left politics or left-wing extremism, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single, coherent definition; some ...

to the

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

, as well as from liberals and

socialists Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and socia ...

conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

nationalists Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, Id ...

, and

Islamists Islamism is a range of Religion, religious and Politics, political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is su ...

History

Some Anti-Erdoganists accused Erdoğan and his AKP of being Neo-Ottomanists, likening it to

Putinism Putinism () is the social, political, and economic system of Russia formed during the political leadership of Vladimir Putin. There are three stages of Putinism; ''Classical Putinism'' (1999–2008), ''Tandem-Phase'' (2008–2012) and ''Devel ...

.
Since 2015, critics have accused Erdoğanism of being a fascist ideology. Despite many criticising Erdoğan due to the perception of him being an Islamist, most Islamists criticise Erdoğan and his rule, as well as Erdoğanists due to them being an extreme

cult of personality A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader,Cas Mudde, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create ...

. The

Felicity Party The Felicity Party (, SAADET) is an Islamism, Islamist Turkey, Turkish political party. It was founded in 2001, and mainly supported by conservative Muslims in Turkey. It was founded on 20 July 2001 after the Virtue Party (Turkey), Virtue Party ...

is among the fiercest Anti-Erdoganist parties in Turkey, which claims that Erdoğan is only an

opportunist 300px, ''Opportunity Seized, Opportunity Missed'', engraving by Theodoor Galle, 1605 Opportunism is the practice of taking advantage of circumstances — with little regard for principles or with what the consequences are for others. Opport ...

who uses religious rhetoric to maintain popular support. Although Erdoğan had initially improved the rights of

Kurds in Turkey The Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Turkey. According to various estimates, they compose between 15% and 20% of the population of Turkey.; ; Sandra Mackey , "The reckoning: Iraq and the legacy of Saddam", W.W. Norton and Company, 200 ...

, he began to lose more and more Kurdish support starting in 2015 because of his alliance with the MHP. Erdoğan often baselessly accuses Kurds who criticise his policies of being PKK supporters, which further disillusions the ones who do not support the PKK. Even conservative Kurds, of whom many were once staunch Erdoğan supporters, had ceased their support due to his increasing nationalism. During the 2023 elections, when Erdoğan pushed a very strong nationalist rhetoric, the majority of Kurds did not vote for him, and many conservative Kurds were repulsed by his nationalism to the point they viewed the opposition as a better alternative. Many Kurds denied that Erdoğan was an Islamist, and claimed that he was a mere " Green Kemalist".

Abdullah Gül Abdullah Gül (; ; born 29 October 1950) is a Turkish politician who served as the 11th president of Turkey from 2007 to 2014. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister of Turkey, Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003, and concurrently s ...

and

Ahmet Davutoğlu Ahmet Davutoğlu (; born 26 February 1959) is a Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, 26th Prime Minister of Turkey and Leader of the Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Justice ...

became Anti-Erdoğanists due to the increasing nationalism of Erdoğan. The

National Path Party The National Path Party ( Turkish: Milli Yol Partisi; MİLLİ YOL) is a Turkish nationalist and national conservative political party in Turkey. A group within the Great Unity Party, dissatisfied with the party’s leadership and its support for ...

was founded in 2021 by BBP politicians and Alperen Hearths who were repulsed by Erdoğan. The party has no major ideological difference with the BBP except for the dispute about Erdoğan. Remzi Çayır had also claimed that

Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu (December 31, 1954 – March 25, 2009) was a Turkish politician and member of the Parliament of Turkey. He was the leader and founder of the Great Unity Party (BBP), a far-right, nationalist-Islamist political party. ...

and

Alparslan Türkeş Alparslan Türkeş (; 25 November 1917 – 4 April 1997) was a Turkish politician, who was the founder and president of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Grey Wolves ''(Ülkü Ocakları)''. He ran the Grey Wolves training camps from ...

would have been very disappointed seeing

Idealists Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, spirit, or consciousness; that reality is enti ...

who support Erdoğan. The

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

rebuffs Erdoğan as a " taghut", and his supporters as "

kuffar ''Kāfir'' (; , , or ; ; or ) is an Arabic-language term used by Muslims to refer to a non-Muslim, more specifically referring to someone who disbelieves in the Islamic God, denies his authority, and rejects the message of Islam a ...

". In the 4th edition of Rumiyah, the Islamic State called on people to "ask Allah for help and attack Turkey" and to "stab those who support the AKP". Alparslan Kuytul, a

Salafi The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...

cleric, is a staunch critic of Erdoğan. Kuytul advocated for a Sharia system and also believed that Erdoğan is a taghut. Kuytul refers to the AKP as ZKP (Oppressive Development Party).

References

{{Reflist Political movements in Turkey Political opposition Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

History

See also

References