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ABSTRACT
The main argument in this article contends that a primary reason why Erdoğan has managed to stay in power in the last decade despite failure in resolving numerous social, domestic, and foreign policy crises stems from Kılıçdaroğlu’s insistence on sustaining a collaborative relationship with the state. This article chronicles Kılıçdaroğlu’s political attitude and his loss of CHP leadership in the wake of his ignominious defeat in the 2023 national elections. The article uses case examples that highlight and analyze his efforts at collaborationism during his term as the leader of the CHP.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Soli Özel for his invaluable comments, suggestions, and feedback on earlier versions of this article. His careful reading provided me with the opportunity to strengthen and expand my arguments.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Kahvecioğlu and Patan, “Embattled Ballots,” 490.
2 Bogaards, “How to Classify Hybrid Regimes”; Levitsky and Way, Competitive Authoritarianism; and Morse, “The Era of Electoral Authoritarianism.”
3 Economist Intelligence Unit, “Frontline Democracy.”
4 Economist Intelligence Unit, “Democracy Index 2010.”
5 Esen and Gümüşçü, “Rising Competitive Authoritarianism,” and Bakiner, “Only Game in Town?”
6 Hirschfield, “Collaboration,” 11.
7 Lemmes, “Collaboration in Wartime France,” 158.
8 Hoffmann, “Collaborationism,” 378.
9 Digeser, “Collaboration,” and Applebaum, “The Collaborators,” 53.
10 Ibid.
11 Yavuz and Öztürk, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, 58.
12 Gürpınar, “Turkish Opposition,” 510.
13 Ciddi and Esen, “Turkey’s Republican People’s Party,” 424.
14 There were a few exceptions to this situation. In the second half of 2022, as indications emerged that Kılıçdaroğlu would be a candidate against Erdoğan in the 2023 elections, Soli Özel, an academic and intellectual, authored a comprehensive article opposing Kılıçdaroğlu's candidacy. Özel argued that Kılıçdaroğlu would lose the election against Erdoğan if he ran. See Soli Özel, “Kemal Bey’in Adaylığı,” Politikyol, October 17, 2022. Accessed July 13, 2024. https://www.politikyol.com/kemal-beyin-adayligi.
15 Lepora and Goodin, On Complicity and Compromise, 76.
16 Yavuz and Öztürk, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, 46–7, 65–6.
17 Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, “Vergi Kaçakçılığını Önlemek,” Milliyet, April 26, 1975, and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, “Ezilen Ücretler ve MDV.” Cumhuriyet, June 10, 1976.
18 Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, “Kemalist Öğretide Maliye,” Cumhuriyet, March 6, 1981, and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, “Devletçilik Üzerine,” Cumhuriyet, August 19, 1981.
19 Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, “Yaygın Vergi Denetimi,” Cumhuriyet, June 22, 1981.
20 Özfatura, Yaşadıklarım, 108.
21 Kılıçdaroğlu described his appointment in detail in the documentary filmed about Mehmet Moğultay. Accessed December 21, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDhyH95UV2E.
22 “Kılıçdaroğlu: Bürokratken Beni Görevden Almak İsteyenlere Süleyman Demirel Karşı Çıktı,” İHA, April 29, 2023.
23 Özfatura, Yaşadıklarım, 108.
24 “Türk-İş’ten Kul’a Destek,” Cumhuriyet, February 14, 1996.
25 “Hedef Adam Milliyet’e Konuştu,” Milliyet, February 16, 1996.
26 “SSK’de Usulsüz İhale Raporu,” Cumhuriyet, February 17, 1996.
27 “Kul: Bir Bildiğimiz Var,” Milliyet, February 16, 1996.
28 “DSP’de Yakın’ın Adaylığına Tepki,” Cumhuriyet, February 26, 1999.
29 Küçükşahin, Kemal’in Gelişi, 27.
30 Cumhuriyet, February 26, 1999.
31 Interview with Kılıçdaroğlu, conducted by the author on 28 April 2024 in Ankara.
32 Erdoğan’s official X (Twitter) account on 22 April 2012. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://x.com/RTErdogan/status/194067068885278720.
33 Interview with Kılıçdaroğlu, conducted by the author.
34 Küçükşahin, Kemal’in Gelişi, 36.
35 “Aday Olmayacağım,” Cumhuriyet, May 11, 2010.
36 Küçükşahin, Kemal’in Gelişi, 130.
37 “Hedefim Yüzde 40,” Cumhuriyet, May 18, 2010.
38 Küçükşahin, Kemal’in Gelişi, 186.
39 Yavuz and Öztürk, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, 49.
40 Interview with Kılıçdaroğlu, conducted by the author.
41 Yavuz and Öztürk, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, 71–2.
42 “Sosyal Medya Yıkıldı,” Yeniçağ, October 31, 2023.
43 “Kargaşaya Götürür,” Cumhuriyet, July 8, 2013.
44 Cengiz Erdinç, “Ceylanpınar’da Ne Oldu?” Kısa Dalga, December 6, 2022.
45 Interview with Kılıçdaroğlu, conducted by the author.
46 Ibid.
47 “Dokunulmazlıkların Kaldırılmasından, Milletvekillerinin Düşürülmesine Uzanan Süreçte Neler Yaşandı,” BBC Türkçe, June 5, 2020.
48 Selçuk, Hekimci, and Erpul, “The Erdoğanization,” 557–8.
49 “İşte Tüm Yönleriyle Mühürsüz Oy Tartışması,” Sözcü, April 17, 2017.
50 “Çalışırsak Kesinlikle Kazanırız,” Anadolu Ajansı, April 29, 2017.
51 Atıcı, Adalet, 31, 34.
52 Ali Gül shared this message on his social media account on 4 November 2023. Accessed December 24, 2023. https://x.com/avaligul/status/1720710053601136860?s=46.
53 “Kılıçdaroğlu’ndan AKP’li Vekillere Cumhurbaşkanı Adaylığı Cevabı: Aday Olup Olmayacağımı Kim Söyledi?” BBC Türkçe, December 8, 2020.
54 “CHP Lideri Kılıçdaroğlu: Erdoğan Sokağa Çıkmamızı İstiyor, Çıkmayacağız,” Habertürk, January 5, 2022.
55 Kahvecioğlu and Patan, “Embattled Ballots,” 509.
56 “Kılıçdaroğlu: Sağ Sol Kavramları 18. Yüzyıla Ait,” Gazete Duvar, August 21, 2020.
57 “Kılıçdaroğlu: Adayımız siyasetçi olacak, ‘Popüler bir ismi getirip cumhurbaşkanı seçelim’ düşüncemiz yok,” Birgün, January 28, 2022.
58 “Kılıçdaroğlu: Popstar Seçmeyeceğiz,” HalkTV, December 28, 2021.
59 “Kılıçdaroğlu: Cumhurbaşkanı Adayı, Egosunun Esiri Olmayacak,” Independent, November 27, 2022.
60 “CHP’den Aday Tanımlaması,” Medyascope, September 24, 2022.
61 “Kılıçdaroğlu İzlenimleri: Bürokrasi İktidara Mesafe mi Koyuyor?” T24, December 7, 2020.
62 “Kılıçdaroğlu Devletin İçinden Üst Düzey Bürokratlarla Temas Halinde,” HalkTV, May 3, 2023. Accessed December 24, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTMBvIZ1les.
63 “Ruşen Çakır ve Levent Gültekin tartışıyor: Muhalefetin Cumhurbaşkanı Adayı Kim Olacak?” Medyascope, July 20, 2022. Confirming Gültekin’s claims, a journalist who closely follows the CHP and a CHP executive told me that Kılıçdaroğlu’s candidacy was supported by power centers within the state before the elections.
64 “Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’dan Kılıçdaroğlu’na Aday Ol Çağrısı,” NTV, October 19, 2022.
65 “Bahçeli: Aday Tercihim Sınıf Arkadaşım,” Sözcü, December 5, 2022.
66 Interview with Kılıçdaroğlu, conducted by the author.
67 Ibid.
68 Balta and Demiralp, “Paradox of Optimism.”
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Behlül Özkan
Behlül Özkan holds a Ph.D (2009) in International Relations, a MALD (2005) in International Relations from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. He received his BA (1998) degree in Political Science and International Relations from Boğaziçi University. Özkan is an associate professor at the department of International Relations, Özyeğin University. He published articles in various academic journals on Turkish politics, security and intelligence during the Cold War, geopolitics and political Islam. Özkan is the author of the book From the Abode of Islam to the Turkish Vatan: Making of a National Homeland in Turkey published by Yale University Press in 2012. He also contributed op-eds to New York Times, Huffington Post, Open Democracy. Özkan had a research funding from Gerda Henkel Stiftung in 2019 and was a research fellow at IWM in Vienna in 2022.