Turkey's Local Elections under the Shadow of the Economic Crisis

Turkey is in the midst of a deep economic crisis. The currency crisis in August 2018 marked the beginning of the first phase of the 2018-2019 crisis. The effects of the currency crisis spread rapidly: while inflation, interest rates and unemployment rose, industrial production declined and economic growth stagnated. The second phase, which is still ongoing, is marked by the attempts of Erdoğan government to counteract the consequences of the crisis, partially by blaming others for the crisis. The third phase will begin after the local elections on 31 March 2019. In this article, I will discuss the background, stages and the current status of the 2018-2019 economic crisis in the context of the upcoming local elections.

Lira’s Downfall is a Symptom: the Political Economy of Turkey's Crisis

Turkish Lira lost almost 45 per cent of its value against the U.S. Dollar in 2018. The losses accelerated notably in recent months and particularly in the second week of August, which included the two days in which Lira lost the most against USD since the 2001 crisis. 

Suddenly, it became “all about Turkey” as the Bloomberg commentators said and many pundits expressed their opinions about the reasons as well as the dire consequences of a currency crisis. 

The first stage of the international financial crisis in 2008-09 was followed by the Eurozone crisis (2010-12). Increasing volatility in the markets of global South, which began by 2014 can be seen as the third stage in such a periodization. We believe that the downfall of Turkish Lira against this background is a symptom of macroeconomic problems and the policy responses of the last decade. In other words, Turkey’s 2018 crisis occurred as a combination of the impact of the tightening global dollar liquidity conditions, the choices of policymakers particularly in recent years and the inability to formulate a new economic model to overcome the crisis of accumulation, unfolding right now in Turkey.