Symbolic Leverage: Nominating (Un)veiled Women as an Electoral Competition Strategy in Polarized Turkey

Paper Abstract

Do party elites strategically nominate (un)veiled women in elections? Existing scholarship has explored this question in Muslim-minority countries. However, little is known about the dynamics of such strategies within Muslim-majority contexts, where the interplay of Islam, secularism, gender, and veiling is complex. To address this gap, I examine electoral competition in Turkey between the Islamist AKP and the secularist CHP. Specifically, I investigate whether the AKP strategically nominates unveiled women for mayoral seats in CHP strongholds to capitalize on the political symbols associated with their identities—a strategy I term ‘symbolic leverage.’ Drawing on an original dataset and elite interviews, I find that the AKP leverages the symbolic value of unveiled women candidates in CHP strongholds to appeal to secular voters. This strategy serves multiple objectives for party elites: signaling tolerance for secular lifestyles, assuaging concerns about Islamization, attracting swing voters, and projecting a democratic image.

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