This article focuses on the relationship between discourses of economic development and prospects for democracy in Turkey. It does so by tracing the political discourse of high-ranking government officials and journalists close to them to show how they use arguments for economic development as a tool to politically legitimize interventions into liberal democracy. I illustrate the dangers caused by the discourse surrounding economic development to democracy by looking at the Gezi protests of Summer 2013. I show how demands for pluralism and respect to different lifestyles -which are indeed crucial aspects of liberal democracy- were instead framed by the government as chaos created by agents of the so called “interest lobby” and provocations caused by those who want to stop Turkey’s economic development from within and from without. I analyze the Gezi case in comparative perspective with presidentialism debates and the corruption scandal of December 2013. I detect a similar pattern in these cases as well such that demands for democracy, transparency, checks and balances are pitted against economic development. Citizens are made to choose between these two sides. What is more, they are pushed to choose a vaguely defined economic development over demands for democratization. I detect this as a serious threat that is not only valid for Turkey but for other developing countries as well. By demonstrating the potentially disruptive effects of economic development dynamics to democracy, I hope to shed new light on the relationship between democracy and economic development.