Turkey after the coup: fragile national unity

Immediately after the failure of the attempted military coup on 15 July 2016, the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began a strict crackdown on its alleged organisers and moved to strengthen his own power. The state of emergency announced on 21 July may be a prelude to sealing the process, which has been ongoing for a long time, of consolidating power in the hands of the President. Currently purges on an unprecedented scale are being carried out in the state apparatus, directed at the Fethullah Gülen movement which has been accused of organising the coup attempt. At the same time, despite mass arrests in the armed forces, the authorities have promised further cooperation with the army; with regard to the ongoing conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the army is still a key power in the Turkish state.

The current sense of national unity, which serves the interests of the government, is spontaneous in nature, and derives from the general aversion of the public towards the idea of military rule. Slowly, however, the opposition is beginning to mobilise. On one hand, President Erdoğan can count on his followers’ acquiescence to his consolidation of power, but on the other, he cannot ignore the deep divisions in Turkish society. His despotic tendencies will meet stiff resistance, and the coming months will likely see a period of very serious internal turbulence.

ESO: Background information: Turkish military claims to have taken control of the country / Coup attempt falters in Turkey http://www.europeansources.info/record/turkish-military-claims-to-have-taken-control-of-the-country-coup-attempt-falters-in-turkey/

ESO: Background information: Can opposition CHP be Erdoğan’s best game partner? http://www.europeansources.info/record/can-opposition-chp-be-erdogans-best-game-partner/

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