The rise of populism in Turkey: a content analysis

Abstract

The rise of populist parties around the world raises concerns about liberal democracy. Amid the discussions on democratic backsliding, this study scrutinises populism in Turkey by using quantitative content analysis. For this goal, this article uses parliamentary group speeches of political leaders between 2011 and 2019 (N = 569) as raw data. The results illustrate that Erdoğan is significantly more populist than other leaders. Kılıçdaroğlu, on the other hand, appears as the least populist political figure. While Bahçeli exploits a Manichean discourse, Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi (HDP)) instrumentalises anti-elitism. The overall results indicate that Turkish politics is stuck in the spiral of populism, which damages democracy in Turkey.