From Authoritarian Constitutionalism to Populist De-Constitutionalisation. Transformation of the Turkish State Under Erdoğan

Turkey has been passing from one type of authoritarian regime to another. While the former regime has been relatively stable, based on an authoritarian conception of constitutionalism, the new one displays a picture of a blatantly illegal order. Authoritarian populism is the hallmark of this new regime. This contribution will first emphasize the differences between the old (statist) and new (populist) authoritarianism in Turkey under Erdoğan. After briefly explaining his populism, certain aspects of the current populist de-constitutionalisation are highlighted. The following sections are structured to shed light on the anti-pluralism and anti-institutionalism of populism under the AKP. The third section describes the AKP’s populist understanding of democracy and human rights and its difference from “statist” values of old authoritarianism, while in the fourth section, a snapshot of Erdoğan’s colonization of anti-majoritarian institutions and civil society is created (Sect. 4).