Electoral pressure, reputational risks, and coalition politics
How Established Parties Respond to the Rise of Anti-Immigrant Parties
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6094428 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ezgi Elçi (0000-0003-3713-788X, Özyeğin University), Deniz Şenol Sert (0000-0002-5360-6642, Özyeğin University), Evren Balta (0000-0001-6364-4426, Özyeğin University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 73 |
| Pages | 124-144 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Perspectives on Turkey (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0896-6346 • E-ISSN: 1305-3299 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/npt.2025.17 |
| OpenAlex | W4411373261 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 54 |
The rise of anti-immigrant parties has reshaped global politics, forcing mainstream parties to recalibrate their strategies. This study examines how Turkish political parties responded to the emergence of the Victory Party (Zafer Partisi) in 2021, which placed immigration at the center of political debate. Drawing on 1,089 parliamentary group speeches (2011–2023) and elite interviews with key party figures, we identified three key factors shaping party responses: voter overlap with radical-right parties; reputational risks associated with shifting policy positions; and access to political power. Our findings revealed five strategies: issue avoidance; amplification; cooptation; repositioning; and reinforcement. Unlike conventional models that emphasize voter competition, we highlight the role of political power in shaping party strategies, particularly in competitive authoritarian settings. This study advances the understanding of how mainstream parties navigate niche party pressures, offering a broader perspective beyond Eurocentric and electoralist frameworks
Immigration · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Law · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Populism, Right-Wing Movements
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Competition Between Unequals
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 6 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |