Editor’s Note: This analysis is part of a two-part series that looks at Turkey’s seemingly contradictory behavior at home and abroad, as Ankara oscillates between diplomacy and aggression to avoid further rattling its economy without forfeiting its nationalist agenda. Read the first part of this series here . Ahead of 2023 elections, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will embrace policies that appease its Islamist base by further entrenching religion into the country’s culture and economy. The AKP will also ramp up efforts to rig the country’s electoral system in its favor, pulling Turkey toward authoritarianism. Sliding poll numbers, the emergence of rival parties and an uncertain economic future are forcing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) to rethink its political strategy ahead of June 2023 elections.