Defeating Populists: The Case of 2019 Istanbul Elections. Issue 1 (2nd January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Demiralp, Seda; Balta, Evren
• Is Part Of: South European society & politics. Volume 26:Issue 1(2021)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 26
• Publication Date: 2021-01-02
• Subjects: Inverted populism -- election strategy -- discursive strategy -- competitive authoritarianism -- local government elections -- urban politics -- contestation -- Turkey; Europe, Southern -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; Europe, Southern -- Social conditions -- Periodicals; 940
• DOI: 10.1080/13608746.2021.1923639
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1360-8746

Abstract

ABSTRACT: How can populist competitive authoritarian regimes be defeated through elections? In this article, we focus on the 2019 municipal campaign strategy of the opposition Istanbul candidate Ekrem İmamoglu as a case study of a successful challenge to a populist competitive authoritarian regime. We argue that such regimes may be prone to defeat when their opponents use what we call an 'inverted populist' strategy. This strategy involves three key elements: adopting an indirect and gradualist approach that avoids direct confrontation with the populist leader and the popular values s/he represents, redefining the 'the people' by including previously excluded groups, and promising redistribution to disadvantaged groups.