Files
Abstract
Do the would-be autocrats who erode democracy announce their plans in public speeches? Do they reveal their intentions with their words, or do they talk about themselves as if they are the champions of democracy while dismantling democratic institutions one by one? What about the opposition leaders? Do they stand and watch, or do they try to give a good name to democracy and protect it in their speeches? In this paper, focusing on Turkey as a case study, I analyze the three most prominent politicians' public speeches between 2014 and 2020. Using a dictionary-based method and structural topic modeling (STM), I assess how politicians from different parties in an electoral autocracy present themselves and their party’s agenda regarding liberal principles. The results of this study indicate that in the case of Turkey, all three politicians display illiberal ideological tendencies yet are all favorable towards democratic procedures in their speeches. Furthermore, the STM analysis reveals the most popular topics addressed by each politician. Overall, results imply that not only actions but also the public addresses of the autocratic incumbent as well as the opposition politicians are worthy of attention in understanding democratic backsliding and the dynamics of an electoral autocracy.