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Analysis of Erdoğan's divine portrayal and Kılıçdaroğlu's rational image in election ads, indicating profound implications for political legitimacy.
In comparison to the ideal democratic paradigm, wherein leaders attain legitimacy through popular mandate, political figures in the Middle East frequently invoke divine authority, even within ostensibly democratic structures. This prevailing narrative, which has been pervasive over the last two decades, particularly exemplifies the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan administration in Türkiye. Erdoğan’s depiction as the chosen one has significantly contributed to his triumph in the 2023 presidential elections. Political campaign advertisement films have emerged as a critical tool in shaping and reinforcing the perception that he is a divinely chosen leader. This study examines six advertisement films aired by Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the presidential candidate of the opposition coalition, during the 2023 Turkish presidential elections. In those films, Erdoğan is portrayed as a traditional leader and as the divinely chosen leader, while Kılıçdaroğlu is depicted as a legal/rational leader and as the harbinger of spring.
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Gezer et al. (2025) studied this question.
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