Turkey’s president suffered a frustrating setback in local government elections as democratic resilience prevailed.
- Marc Pierini
- Carnegie Europe
Watch out for the impact on the economy, the rule of law, defense, and Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s campaigning was vintage AKP electioneering: playing a nationalist fiddle; hiding economic realities with creative accounting and cosmetic measures; equating low interest rates (again) with low inflation; accusing foreigners of weakening the currency; threatening the opposition; continuing the crackdown on free speech and dissent; warning the West over Islamophobia; and calling three EU leaders—Federica Mogherini, Johannes Hahn, and…