Is there no hope for Turkish democracy?

The results of the June 7 general elections prompted many to wonder whether a new democratic era had begun in Turkey. The historic results allowed ushered a pro-Kurdish political party into Parliament for the first time and brought an end to the 13 years of single-party government of the Justice and Development Party. But the result did not in reality give much cause for optimism since the four political parties in Parliament failed to form a coalition, enabling President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to call another election for November 1, 2015. This contribution argues that by virtue of its regular and free elections, representative institutions and competitive political parties, Turkey has for too long been mislabelled as a democracy despite its constitutional and legal authoritarianism. Whatever the outcome of the repeat elections, Turkey will remain in the “‘grey zone’ between open autocracy and liberal democracy” if it continues without structural change