In societies like ours, which are constantly plagued by problems, elections are supposed to be seen as fresh starts that generate optimistic expectations for the future. Unfortunately, last month Turkey held another general election, the outcome of which did not inspire much hope. While the ruling People's Alliance had already secured a majority in the legislature during the first round of voting on May 14th, the second round of the presidential election took place on May 28th and was won by Tayyip Erdoğan, the candidate of the same Alliance, for the "third time" (!). The phrase "for the third time," which I felt compelled to emphasize with an exclamation mark, adequately signifies the peculiarity of the situation: A person who can constitutionally be elected president "at most twice" has now been elected to this office for the third time!This holds symbolic significance for the current regime in Turkey. The dual elections held in May 2023 posed significant challenges, both in terms of universal democratic standards and Turkey's constitutional order. European institutions have indeed confirmed that these elections did not occur under conditions of fair competition between the government and the opposition. The current regime, characterized by some as "post-fascism," has shown a disregard for liberal-democratic principles, and the elections merely served to legitimize the political status quo without truly upholding democratic values.Meanwhile, it is not possible to achieve miraculous economic results by simply placing a certain individual in charge of economic administration. Like in all public domains, the crucial aspect here is addressing and rectifying the institutional damage incurred in recent years. Even if there were a sudden transformation in the mindset of the current political team, leading them to formulate and implement appropriate policies across all sectors, it would still be challenging to extricate the country from its current predicament and restore politics, law, and the economy to a favorable trajectory, especially in the short term.It appears that the hopes of Turkish society for freedom, justice, peace, and prosperity will once again be dashed. In summary, Turkey is facing challenging months and even years ahead.Until the next edition of the Freedom Bulletin, let us hope to meet under more optimistic circumstances.

fascism ile ilgili hikayeler