Erdogan’s electoral drubbing

With food inflation in Turkey running at 71 per cent, surpassed, the World Bank says, only by Argentina, Lebanon and Zimbabwe, it is no wonder voters delivered a drubbing to authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in last weekend’s local elections. In the worst result for him since he came to power 21 years ago, cities and towns across one of the world’s most strategically vital nations turned against his ruling Justice and Development Party. In the capital, Ankara, Mr Erdogan’s candidate for mayor was trounced by an opposition candidate by 29 per cent. And the opposition will now govern Turkey’s five biggest cities.

The result does not change Mr Erdogan’s iron-grip rule. His presidential term is not due to expire until 2028. He remains the head of a country that plays a pivotal role in global politics, particularly in the Middle East, and as an unreliable but key member of NATO. He regularly thumbs his nose at the West by cosying up to Vladimir Putin and, outrageously, obtaining Russian missile defence systems for his armed forces that undermine NATO’s strategic interests and also those of NATO allies such as Australia.

Mr Erdogan’s conservative Islamist rule has put Turkey at serious odds with the West by refusing to condemn Hamas’s barbaric October 7 slaughter of Jews and accusing Israel of “crimes against humanity”. In doing so, Mr Erdogan has adopted the rhetoric of Iran’s murderous Shi’ite rulers as they seek to dominate the Middle East, despite Turkey being Sunni.

With four years of his presidential term left, Mr Erdogan would be foolish to ignore the warning signalled by the drubbing. The parlous state of the economy under his (mis)management was a factor, but not the only one. Two decades of Machiavellian rule by Mr Erdogan aimed at increasing his authoritarian executive power, weakening parliament, controlling the judiciary, purging the military of opponents and oppressing opposition leaders and journalists – using laws that prohibit insulting the president to silence them – have caught up with him. His party’s failure to win control of Istanbul, where he grew up and was once mayor, shows the strife he is in.

Turkish voters have shown they want better governance. Turkey’s standing in the World Bank’s ledgers reflects the failure of Mr Erdogan’s oppressive rule. And NATO needs a better ally. Mr Erdogan has long been a troublesome, irresolute participant in the Western alliance, willing to link up with adversaries.