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Change in political party strategy and organization in Turkey: the Republican People’s Party in government and in opposition

2020; Routledge; Volume: 20; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14683857.2020.1833619

1743-9639

Kerem Kılıçdaroğlu,

Political Conflict and Governance

Political parties rely heavily on clientelistic networks in Turkey. However, parties may change and pursue alternative strategies while appealing to voters. The goal of this study is to explain why political parties change their strategies from clientelistic to programmatic or vice versa. Therefore, the key question is: under what conditions do parties adopt a clientelistic strategy or a programmatic strategy? Based on field research in Istanbul, Turkey, concerning party-voter linkages, I argue that parties' access to state resources affects the changes in party strategy. When a party is involved in a governing coalition, the party is more likely to pursue a clientelistic strategy; conversely, when a party becomes the opposition, it is more likely to pursue a programmatic strategy. In order to support my arguments, this research observes government (1991–1995) and opposition (2002–2015) periods of the Republican People's Party (CHP, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi). In this context, the CHP's electoral strategy and local organizations are observed in the more developed Kadıköy and less developed Esenler districts in Istanbul.