Municipal Politics in Turkey ─ Local Government and Party Organisation

This book compares local politics in two Central Anatolian cities ruled by different parties, the AKP in Konya and the CHP in Eskisehir. It analyzes how national political parties adapt to local contexts (culture of everyday politics) and how they seek to influence local culture (politics of everyday culture). By examining how municipal politics were practiced on a daily basis, it illuminates more fundamental aspects of Turkish politics such as political mobilization, establishing links between voters and politicians, various practices of decision-making and the role of civil society. All of these have been critical for the AKP’s continuous electoral success since 2002.

Charlotte Joppien is managing director of the Turkei Europa Zentrum at Hamburg University. Her work focuses on Turkish domestic and municipal politics, political culture, political mobilization, political Islam and cultural policy.