DPI hosted its final event of 2023, “Looking Ahead: Where is Türkiye heading? A discussion on the Upcoming Local Elections and Opportunities & Obstacles for Conflict Resolution in Türkiye,” on December 14th. The online Peace Table was headlined by columnist and board member of the KONDA Research and Consultancy Company, Bekir Ağırdır. Ağırdır gave a retrospective of the past year and the major developments of 2023. He examined the results of the 2023 general and presidential elections, and the fallout and aftermath of the elections. Bekir Ağırdır also discussed his predictions for the upcoming year, 2024, including the local elections and beyond. Ağırdır highlighted, throughout his presentation, that following the local elections in 2024, Türkiye will experience a prolonged period without any elections. This is unique in the country’s recent history, as in the last 13 years, Türkiye has had 13 elections of various kinds. Bekir Ağırdır said that this period may present a window of opportunity for change, and to see new dynamics emerge.
The discussion session proved to be fruitful, as participants discussed a wide variety of pertinent topics including polarisation in the country, increased securitisation across policy areas, and the ways change in political dynamics can be affected. This event proved to be timely, as it allowed participants to not only reflect on an important and eventful year in 2023, and to look forward to the dynamics and events which will determine the course of Türkiye in the upcoming year in 2024.