The evolution of the party model in Turkey: from cadre to cartel parties?

This article has two major aims. First, it sketches out the party model change in Turkey. Second, it highlights how the AKP's authoritarian turn has affected its model of organization. On the former, it argues that the cadre parties of the early republic tended to turn into the mix of class-based mass parties and catch-all parties in the post-1960 period. The mass party tradition was maintained among ethnic and religion-based parties in the post-1980 period while social democrat parties, as well as centre-right parties, mixed catch-all and cartel party characteristics. On the latter, we argue that the AKP's authoritarian drift has very well been reflected upon its organizational model which shifted from the combination of a mass party and catch-all party to a mixture of cadre and electoral-professional party models.