On the evening of July 15, 2016, parts of the Turkish military attempted to overthrow the government of President Erdogan. The consequences of the failed coup continue to shape Turkey to this day.
That night, tanks rolled through the streets, fighter jets flew over Ankara and Istanbul, and soldiers blocked the Bosphorus Bridge. The parliament in Ankara came under fire. President Erdogan called on the public via video link to take to the streets and stop the coup.
The coup attempt failed that same night, but its political consequences still influence the country. The government blamed the Gulen movement, led by cleric Fethullah Gulen, who was once an ally of Erdogan but later fell out with him.
July 15 is now a national holiday. The former Bosphorus Bridge was renamed the "Bridge of the Martyrs of July 15." Official figures say 253 people died, most of them civilians.
Six days after the coup, parliament approved a state of emergency. Initially limited to three months, it was extended seven times and did not end until July 19, 2018. During those two years, the president governed largely by emergency decrees, issuing 32 decrees in total.
The political purges were enormous. More than 125,000 civil servants and military personnel were dismissed. Between 2016 and 2025, approximately 390,000 people were detained or arrested on suspicion of ties to the Gulen movement. About 113,000 were placed in pretrial detention. In addition, 2,761 institutions — including schools, associations, foundations, and media outlets — were closed. 4,130 people were sentenced to life imprisonment for alleged involvement in the coup.
Political scientist Ersin Kalaycioglu says the effects of the state of emergency continue to this day. He argues that the state has undergone a permanent shift, with frequent use of decrees leading to an "extremely centralized structure." Opposition parties accuse the government of expanding the purges beyond the Gulen movement to include critics.
Politically, the coup attempt accelerated the rapprochement between Erdogan's AKP and the ultranationalist MHP. With their support, the government pushed through a constitutional referendum in 2017, shifting Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system. The prime minister's office was abolished, and the president's executive powers were significantly expanded. Critics call it a "one-man system."
The presidential system also transformed the opposition. With an absolute majority required for the presidency, opposition parties formed electoral alliances and fielded joint candidates. This strategy paid off: in the 2019 and 2024 local elections, the opposition CHP won mayoral races in Istanbul and Ankara. However, many of these opposition politicians now face investigations or terrorism-related allegations.
Source: www.dw.com