The Economist’s hostility toward the Turkish government, usually resurfacing in every election year, manifested itself this week as the opposition sought to drum up support for an early vote in 2028.
The weekly claimed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was “preparing” for elections by a crackdown on the opposition in a piece last week. The article incurred outcry in the country, with prominent figures lashing out at the weekly.
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç was among them. Tunç said in a social media post on Monday that it was unacceptable to target Erdoğan and Türkiye over the ongoing investigations and through lies and defamation. The minister underlined the independence and neutrality of the judiciary based on the principle of supremacy of law. He stated that The Economist failed to take an objective approach toward Türkiye and was engaged in a blatant smearing campaign.
“Türkiye’s strengthening role in its region, accomplishments in security policies and its economic growth disturb certain people. Such manipulative attempts are nothing but new versions of global conspiracies targeting our country. Let them remember that the old Türkiye guided by certain people and operated on is a thing of the past. Everyone should know that we will not bow down to dirty plots planned by the Dark Powers. We will stand firm against disinformation campaigns by The Economist and its ilk. We will continue to have more say in global affairs under the leadership of our president and the support of our nation to grow strong.
The head of the presidency’s Communications Directorate, Fahrettin Altun, also criticized The Economist on Sunday for distorting facts about ongoing legal cases in the country.
"For months, The Economist, which has remained silent in the face of the brutal massacres and genocidal terrorism carried out by Israel in front of the eyes of the world, today had the audacity to target our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by distorting some ongoing cases and investigations conducted by Türkiye's independent judiciary," he said on X. "There is no lesson to be learned from this publication, which, by disregarding universal legal principles, unconditionally supports Israel and fails to offer a single criticism of Western states that try to silence those who defend the legitimate rights of the oppressed Palestinian people. But there is much to take as a warning," Altun said.
"This initiative, which specifically targets Türkiye's globally successful TV series industry and aims to set the stage for a political operation, is a new version of the global conspiracies against Türkiye,” Altun said, referring to the detention of Ayşe Barım, a prominent talent agent for Turkish celebrities who is mentioned in the article. Barım is accused of taking part in orchestrating the notorious Gezi Park riots of 2013.
“However, under the leadership of President Erdoğan, we continue to walk with firm steps toward our goal of a great and powerful Türkiye, regardless of these dirty games!" he added.
The Economist is a fierce opponent of Erdoğan despite its claim to be neutral in its coverage and openly called for a victory for the opposition in the 2023 elections.
The cover with the title “The Most Important Election of 2023” was adorned with tags “Save Democracy” and “Erdoğan Must Go” days before Erdoğan won a two-round election against the candidate of a six-party opposition alliance, cementing his legacy in Turkish politics as one of the longest-serving democratically-elected leaders. In the accompanying article, the weekly claimed Erdoğan's defeat would show “democrats everywhere that strongmen can be beaten.”
In 2023, The Economist ran another anti-Erdoğan cover titled "Empire" and "Dictatorship." The publication's report accompanying the body, which reads "Turkey's Looming Dictatorship," claimed Türkiye is on the brink of a disaster as it may go from a "deeply flawed democracy into a full-blown dictatorship."
The piece, again conveniently, ignored over two decades of democratic elections the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its leader Erdoğan easily won, mainly with a landslide victory, with the opposition admitting defeat.
