Talk:
“Normalized Without Winning: Coalition Politics and the Far-Right in Turkey”
by
Ezgi Elçi
Department of International Relations
Özyeğin University, Turkey ezgi.elci@ozyegin.edu.tr
Date and Room Info
Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 12:30 p.m.
A-130
Abstract
Why are far-right parties normalized in government despite limited electoral support? Existing explanations emphasize voter demand, ideological moderation, or institutional constraints, yet they struggle to explain cases in which electorally marginal far-right actors enter coalitions. This article addresses this puzzle through a historical analysis of Turkey in the 1970s, a period of polarized pluralism and recurrent coalition governments. Using coalition arithmetic and archival evidence, I show that far-right inclusion was not inevitable: multiple minimal winning coalitions excluding far-right parties were feasible during the 1970s. Instead, normalization resulted from elite coordination failure under conditions of polarized pluralism and permissive veto players. Institutional normalization subsequently reduced the costs of far-right participation and enabled their ideological influence on mainstream parties. These findings contribute to comparative debates by showing that normalization can precede electoral success and be driven by elite strategies rather than mass demand.
Short Bio
Ezgi Elçi is an Associate Professor of Political Science in the Department of International Relations at Özyeğin University. He earned his Ph.D. from Koç University. Previously, he was a visiting researcher at the University of Georgia and Concordia University. He is honored to be a recipient of the Science Academy’s 2025 Young Scientist Award. His research focuses on political behavior and political communication, with publications in journals such as the British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, American Behavioral Scientist, European Political Science Review, and several edited volumes.