The collapse of Turkey’s centre-right tradition: organizational dynamics and local pathways

SAVAŞKAN O., ERTAN M.

Middle Eastern Studies, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/00263206.2026.2725810
  • Journal Name: Middle Eastern Studies
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Periodicals Index Online, Geobase, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, Jewish Studies Source, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Index to Jewish Periodicals, MLA International Bibliography, Political Science Abstract (IPSA), Social Sciences Abstracts, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Art, Design & Architecture Collection (ProQuest), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Art, Design & Architecture Collection (ProQuest), Arts Premium Collection (ProQuest), Humanities Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Political Science Database (ProQuest), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
  • Keywords: Centre right, clientelism, local politics, party collapse, party factionalism
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: No

Abstract

This article explores the collapse of Turkey’s centre-right tradition, focusing on the two major parties that dominated the political landscape of the 1990s. While acknowledging the influence of macro-structural transformations such as neoliberalism, rising identity-based polarization and the erosion of postwar political cleavages, the study argues that internal organizational dynamics played a more decisive role in this outcome. Drawing on fieldwork in five provinces with a strong centre-right legacy, the article shows how the loss of developmentalist credibility, weakening clientelist ties, and the leadership crisis drove the collapse. Furthermore, it demonstrates that intra-party factionalism failed to serve as an adaptive mechanism; instead, it evolved into destructive personal rivalries and patronage networks that undermined organizational cohesion. By bridging structural analysis with local-level evidence, this study contributes to broader debates on political change, party organization and party collapse.