The ultraconservatives are making progress in Türkiye. The Islamist party Yeniden Refah (New Prosperity Party, YRP) made a breakthrough on Sunday March 31, thanks to the municipal elections, to the detriment of the ruling party, the AKP of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The party, considered one of the causes of the debacle of the AKP, established itself as the third force in these municipal elections, bringing together 6.2% of the votes at the national level.

Also read Municipalities in Turkey: five things to know about the debacle of Erdogan and the AKP

Created in 2018, Yeniden Refah claims the heritage of Necmettin Erbakan, the influential politician and mentor of the young Erdogan, who launched the Islamist movement Milli Gorus (National Vision) at the end of the 1960s, inspiring numerous parties and associations in Turkey and within the Turkish diaspora in France and Germany.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then aged 21, took his first steps in politics within this party and it was with the help of his mentor, Necmettin Erbakan, that he won the mayoralty of Istanbul in 1994, under the colors of the Refah party.

But his relations with his spiritual father deteriorated when Erdogan and his companions tried to dethrone him, then when they created the AKP, the Justice and Development Party, in 2002, depriving him of his former influence.

Fatih Erbakan, one of the sons of the “hodja” (“teacher”), relaunched the party of his father, who died in 2011, in 2018 under the name Yeniden Refah. By contributing to the setback suffered by President Erdogan on Sunday, Erbakan's son avenged his father, some observers believe.

War in Gaza and inflation at the center of the campaign

Yeniden Refah defends an Islamo-conservative vision of the world that is more rigid than that of the AKP, which favors “morals and spiritual values”.

“We will close LGBT+ associations when we are in power. It is a heresy prohibited in all religions,” launched its leader.

The party also opposes feminism and defended Turkey's withdrawal, in 2021, from the Istanbul Convention, which aims to combat violence against women.

Opposing interest rates which it sees as a rate of usury contrary to Islam, the party has especially made itself known in recent months by denouncing the maintenance of commercial relations between Turkey and Israel despite the war in Gaza.

"If the government ends trade with Israel, closes the Malatya radar station (installed in 2012 by NATO, of which Turkey is a member, Editor's note) which protects Israel and doubles pensions to 20,000 Turkish liras (580 euros) , we are ready to withdraw our candidacy in Istanbul", warned Fatih Erbakan a few days before the election.

According to analysts, Yeniden Refah won many votes by placing the war in Gaza and inflation – 67.1% over one year – at the center of its campaign.

Future ally of Erdogan?

Yeniden Refah, which supported President Erdogan in the 2023 presidential election, won two provinces on Sunday, Sanliurfa (south-east) and Yozgat (center), which were led by AKP mayors.

With 6.2% of the vote nationally, he did better than President Erdogan's coalition partner, the MHP (Nationalist Action Party), capped at 5%.

“We must not trust those who are trying to make us lose, even if they have been at our side for a while,” warned Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Given the results of the municipal elections, the Turkish president could however be tempted to reconnect with his former ally, observers believe.

With AFP

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