A Key to Turkish Politics: the State Parties Relationship

Starting with the hypothesis that competitive elections need the elites to believe in political alternation and the protection of minority rights, the authors focus on one consequence of the lack of consensus on the rules of the political game: the impossible neutrality of State institutions. In Turkey, where this consensus lacks, the capture of public resources is one of the decisive ways for political parties to accumulate resources. The consequence is the politicization and the lack of objectification of the institutions, the loss of autonomy of the different social sectors and the participation of the army in the political field. This reinforces the lack of consensus on the rules of the political game and explains the strengthening of the one-party governments and the instability of the coalition governments in Turkey.