Turkey's March 19 Protests: An End to Competitive Authoritarianism?

Abstract Ekrem Imamoglu, the popular mayor of Istanbul and a potential challenger to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested in March 2025 on charges of corruption and suspicions of supporting a terrorist organization. Some analysts contend that Ankara has crossed a line from competitive authoritarianism to a closed system marked by government control over not only the judiciary but also media and even capital. However, this article shows there is not enough evidence to suggest that this represents a major regime change. Even after Imamoglu's detention and the months‐long protests that followed, the opposition retains visibility, elections remain a principal source of political legitimacy, and civil society continues to act as a restraint on the government. The study first examines the concepts of competitive and closed authoritarianism, then analyzes the recent developments to understand whether the system has definitively transformed. The findings demonstrate that the system remains more open than critics allege.