Post-Truth Populism as an Emerging Electoral Strategy: The Case of Turkey's 2023 Elections

Abstract

This article develops a new theoretical framework to explain how right-wing populist incumbents mobilise electoral support in competitive authoritarian regimes. It argues that post-truth populism, defined as the strategic fusion of securitised discourse and emotionally charged identity appeals with epistemic manipulation, enables populist leaders to shape the political battlefield through affective and symbolic narratives rather than policy content. Drawing on discourse analysis of President Recep Tayyip Erdo & gbreve;an's 2023 campaign in Turkey, the article shows how the ruling coalition reframed the elections as an existential struggle against internal and external enemies while simultaneously offering emotionally resonant promises of national revival. Rather than focus solely on institutional advantages or voter grievances, this study foregrounds the discursive agency of populist leaders and their ability to manufacture fear, pride and loyalty. By analysing how Erdo & gbreve;an's campaign displaced economic accountability with emotionally saturated, post-factual narratives, the article contributes to literatures on populism, post-truth politics and securitisation. It argues that the convergence of post-truth politics and populist securitisation forms a powerful mechanism for authoritarian endurance in hybrid regimes, transforming elections into moralised referenda on identity and national survival.