The Transformation of Political Regime and Capital Fractions in Turkey: The AKP, TÜSİAD and MÜSİAD (2002–2017)

This study examines the evolving roles of TÜSİAD and MÜSİAD in the process of constructing the new political regime that was institutionalized in Turkey in 2017. Addressing a gap in the literature regarding the position of the capitalist class in regime debates, it argues that the stances of both capital organizations towards the Presidential Government System are neither linear nor homogeneous. In this context, it is contended that TÜSİAD’s and MÜSİAD’s positions vis-à-vis the new political regime have varied over time in line with changes in the AKP government’s capacity to respond to the needs and demands of different fractions of capital. The study further suggests that regime transformation in Turkey cannot be explained solely through the preferences of the ruling political power, but should instead be understood in relation to the struggles among different fractions of capital and broader crisis dynamics.