In the end, it was clear: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan remains president of Turkey and could thus complete a quarter of a century in power. The question is: what will he use his power for? Will he be open to new negotiations again after the end of the election campaign? Is he taking the side of the West and NATO more clearly – or is he moving further towards Putin and consolidating the Turkey-Russia axis?
Since the miracle of the change of power failed to materialize, the hope for more democracy in Turkey will remain just that for the time being: a very quiet hope. In recent years, the treatment of critics and free journalism has become more and more intensified – and disinformation has also been deliberately used in election campaigns.
How does the opposition deal with this defeat? Hopes for Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu were dashed, and the beacon of hope also disappointed many supporters with a desperate attempt to overtake Erdoğan on the far right before the run-off election. Now the opposition must regroup and find unity again. After all, after the election is before the election – and the next local elections in Istanbul will be hotly contested.
More on the subject
After Erdoğan's election victory:What is now in store for Turkey – and for the WestMaximilian Popp and Özlem Topçu report from Istanbul
Erdoğan's victory in Turkey:Now things are getting bleak. Or? A commentary by Özlem Topçu
CDU politician on the Turkish elections: Why has Erdoğan had so much success in Germany, Ms. Güler? An interview by Sophie Garbe and Florian Gathmann
Run-off election in Turkey: Erdoğan distributes banknotes in front of the polling station
Fateful choice in Turkey: What if Erdoğan does not accept defeat? A podcast by Janita Hämäläinen, Maximilian Popp and Katrin Elger
"The question is how many setbacks and setbacks an opposition can take. It's hard not to be completely demoralized at some point, not to be fatalistic. And many are actually thinking about leaving the country," says Max Popp after conversations with people who believed in a turning point in this "fateful choice". Now Islamist splinter parties will be part of the AKP ticket, and the consequences of this are not yet foreseeable.
"Democratic civil society will rightly feel threatened. There are voices from these parties that say, for example, single women that they have to be taken care of – that doesn't bode well. Women's organisations are also alarmed and take a very close look at what is coming out of the corner," observes Özlem Topcu. Both Popp and Topcu were in the country for weeks to report on the election marathon.
In this episode of the SPIEGEL foreign podcast Eight Billion, we also talk about why people with Turkish passports in Germany have the inglorious reputation of having helped Erdoğan gain the decisive advantage and where this closeness to Erdoğan historically comes from.
You can listen to the current episode here: