Publication

This article examines the June 2015 general elections in Turkey, arguing that the only party to lose out in the election was the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), and the state of civil society in the country. More specifically, the author discusses 1) some of the reasons for the AKP's relative loss, including the point that Turkish civil society has displayed resistance against the growing authority of President Erdoğan; 2) the initiatives undertaken by various civil society organizations to prevent election fraud; 3) the success of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) in winning the vote of liberal minded voters as well as conservative Kurds; and 4) how the legacy of the Gezi Park protests was reflected in the June 2015 elections.