This paper explores the role of opposition parties within the context of global democratic erosion, with a focus on Turkey. It investigates the multifaceted role of opposition actors in the process of autocratisation, challenging conventional portrayals of them as mere victims or resilient forces. Drawing on a comprehensive analysis of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), spanning the critical period of 2002–2022 under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), this research uncovers how opposition strategies have evolved in response to changing political dynamics. The paper introduces two new concepts, rigid opposition and flexible opposition, to elucidate the adaptive nature of opposition strategies in the face of autocratisation. It underscores the transition of the CHP from a rigid stance, characterised by identity-based polarisation, to a more flexible approach, involving strategic alliances and inclusive discourse. This transformation is not a binary success–failure paradigm but rather a complex adaptation with inherent risks. While flexibility is crucial to limit autocratisation, its potential pitfalls carry the risks of contributing to autocratisation and the dilution of party identity.

This study explores the changing discourse of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Turkey as it confronts a populist authoritarian government. By analyzing and contrasting discourses used in election campaigns and protests and focus group discussions it investigates opposition’s role in fueling or challenging the polarizing populist narrative of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). This paper argues that autocratization is a dynamic process in which opposition parties play an active role, contributing to and opposing autocratization simultaneously, rather than being mere victims of the process. It claims that the CHP’s electoral and discursive strategy has shifted gradually under Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s leadership since 2010. Unlike the previous exclusionary discourse that legitimized the AKP’s polarizing, populist narrative, the party has adopted an inclusive discourse that has contributed to its victory in the 2019 local elections.

Diese Studie untersucht den sich wandelnden Diskurs der Republikanischen Volkspartei (CHP) in der Türkei, die sich mit einer populistischen autoritären Regierung konfrontiert sieht. Durch die Analyse und Gegenüberstellung von Diskursen, die im Wahlkampf, bei Protesten und in Fokusgruppendiskussionen verwendet werden, wird die Rolle der Opposition bei der Ankurbelung oder Herausforderung des polarisierenden populistischen Narrativs der regierenden Partei für Gerechtigkeit und Entwicklung (AKP) untersucht. In diesem Papier wird argumentiert, dass die Autokratisierung ein dynamischer Prozess ist, in dem die Oppositionsparteien eine aktive Rolle spielen, indem sie gleichzeitig zur Autokratisierung beitragen und sich ihr widersetzen, anstatt nur Opfer des Prozesses zu sein. Es wird behauptet, dass sich die Wahl- und Diskursstrategie der CHP unter der Führung von Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu seit 2010 schrittweise verändert hat. Im Gegensatz zum früheren ausgrenzenden Diskurs, der das polarisierende, populistische Narrativ der AKP legitimierte, hat die Partei einen integrativen Diskurs angenommen, der zu ihrem Sieg bei den Kommunalwahlen 2019 beigetragen hat.

This article examines the role of opposition parties in the autocratization process of Turkey under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), focusing on the strategies and dynamics of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP). The research seeks to understand the key factors that have driven the CHP to form alliances, their contribution to opposition coordination, and the evolution of these alliances over time. It also investigates the motivations of CHP political elites and the challenges faced in maintaining cohesive opposition alliances. By examining the CHP's role in the autocratization process, the article contributes to understanding how opposition parties under autocratization can both challenge and inadvertently contribute to the consolidation of autocratic rule. The article analyzes the dynamics of regime transformation and the complex interplay between opposition strategies and autocratization within the Turkish context.