Türkiye's 2023 Elections and Transformation of Political Discourse

The May 2023 parliamentary and presidential elections in Türkiye were held in the 100th year of the establishment of the republican system, which is the basis for examining the political, religious and identity parameters for understanding the politics and statehood in this country. The electoral results and rivalries among different coalitions and parties in Türkiye can be analyzed and understood in a historical process and based on the type of their discourse. The aim of this study is to examine the change in political discourse in Türkiye as a result of the 2023 elections and its impact on the future of political activities in the country. The research methodology is discourse analysis based on Laclau and Mouffe's theory of discourse. Because, the semantic elements that were formed during the electoral campaign rivalries played a role in the political arrangement of the parliament and Recep Tayyip Erdogan's victory. Assuming the change in the Turkish political discourse and relying on the discourse analysis approach, the study seeks to shed light on the analysis data in these elections which show the compatibility of the elements of the two competing discourses of nationalism and Islamism. Meanwhile, political pluralism in the thoughts of the opposition front has provided the ground for multiple discourses in Türkiye. How the semantic system of each of these discourses adapts to religious values and respect for national symbols and acceptance of the principles of democracy and secularism based on the cultural identity of the Turkish nation has an impact on their lives.