Esen, BerkGumuscu, SebnemYavuzyilmaz, Hakan2026-03-232024-04-20SOUTH EUROPEAN SOCIETY AND POLITICS, cilt 28, 2024, sayı 3, ss. 359-3871360-8746https://hdl.handle.net/11727/14572On May 14, Turkish voters headed to the polls to vote for presidential and parliamentary elections. This was the most challenging race yet for authoritarian populist Erdogan, as the ongoing economic crisis and deadly earthquakes severely diminished his performance legitimacy. Moreover, the opposition parties united against his regime by rallying behind a joint presidential candidate. However, Erdogan turned the tables on the opposition and won the presidential race for a third consecutive term while his electoral bloc secured a majority in the parliament. This paper analyses the context and results of Turkey's 2023 twin elections. We highlight the features of the competitive authoritarian regime, Erdogan's religio-nationalist electoral strategy, and the opposition's fragile state and weak strategy to explain Erdogan's electoral resilience.en-USTayyip Erdogancompetitive authoritarianismAKPCHPpolarisationopposition coordinationArticle283001199966100001