Kulturkampf in Turkey: The Constitutional Referendum of 12 September 2010

The referendum of 12 September 2010 saw the resurfacing of the main cultural cleavages in Turkish society, resulting in a major kulturkampf between the more socio-cultural liberal and secular coastal provinces and the more religious conservative hinterland. The AKP and some Islamist and Turkish nationalist fringe parties supported the ‘yea’ vote, the rest of the political parties supported ‘nay’, and the Kurdish nationalists boycotted the referendum. Individual-level statistical analysis of the vote indicates that partisanship, ideological splits, economic satisfaction and religiosity played a major role in influencing vote choices. A highly divided society, producing a 60–40 divide across a host of political issues, seemed to have emerged, helping the governing AKP get its way through heightened conflict.

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