ABSTRACT
Since 2010 we observe the downfall of the Center and the Center–Periphery conflict in Turkish politics and resurfacing of the main cultural cleavages. It has precipitated a major kulturkampf between the more socio-cultural liberal and secular coastal provinces, and the more religious conservative hinterland began to dominate Turkish politics. The AKP and some Islamist and Turkish nationalist parties emerged as the champions of the latter, while the CHP, moderate conservative-liberal parties, and the HDP emerged as the representatives of the former cultural bloc. Individual-level statistical analysis of the vote indicated that partisanship, ideological splits, economic satisfaction also played a significant role in influencing vote choices, yet all seemed to have been influenced by the underlying cultural divide and life-style choices. A highly divided and polarized society seemed to have emerged, helping the governing AKP and its informal coalition partners get their way through heightened conflict.
