Parliamentary elections in Turkey determine the composition of the Grand National Assembly for the next five years.[1] The members are elected for a five-year term through a proportional system in 87 multi-member constituencies with closed party lists or as independent candidates.
The age of candidacy was 30 in the newly established Republic of Turkey. The age of candidacy dropped from 30 to 25 through a constitutional amendment in 2006.[2] Following the 2017 constitutional referendum, it was further lowered to 18.[3]
According to the Constitution of the Ottoman Empire (1876), the voting age was 25. In the newly established Republic of Turkey, the voting age was reduced to 18 due to the decreasing population. The voting age was increased to 22 in 1934, decreased to 21 in 1987, and 18 in 1995.[4]
The voter turnout for the average of 18 parliamentary election is 81.4%. Turkey has a high voter turnout rate compared to other democracies. The participation rate in Turkey is also higher than the participation rates in countries where compulsory voting is loosely applied. With the exception of 1960–1970, voter turnout rate in Turkey is above the world average from 1950 to the present in Turkey.[5]
Turkey is split into 87 electoral districts, which elect a certain number of representatives to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Electoral district are allocated a certain number of MPs in proportion to their population. The Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey conducts population reviews of each district before an election and adjusts a district's number of seats according to the latest census.
Parliamentary seats are allocated according to the d’Hondt method in a party-list proportional representation system.[6] Political parties first need to pass an electoral threshold of 7%. Parties can by-pass this rule by forming an electoral alliance or participate as independents. The electoral threshold was introduced by the military regime after the 1980 coup d'état, in a bid to maintain political stability.[7]
From 1946 onwards, all elections were direct elections. In the elections held between 1946 and 1957, a party block voting system was applied. Under this system, the party that obtained a plurality of votes in a constituency would get all the deputies in that constituency. The system resulted in a landslide victories. For example, the Democrat Party received 58% of the votes in the 1954 election, but won 93% of the seats in the parliament.
Proportional representation was used for the first time after the adoption of the Constitution of 1961. For the elections of 1961, a party-list proportional representation with the D'Hondt method in 67 constituencies was used. In order to receive seats in a constituency, parties needed to receive more votes in that constituency that the Hare quota. It was also the first time that the number of deputies was fixed and determined as 450 seats.
In the 1965 election, the national remnant system was used. In the elections held in 1969, 1973 and 1977, the d'Hondt electoral system was applied without a threshold. A nationwide electoral threshold of 10% and a constituency electoral threshold was introduced following the changes to the law in 1983. In addition to that, a quota system was also used in the 1987 and 1991 elections. From 1995 onwards, only a nationwide electoral threshold is used.[8]
The Law on Basic Provisions regulates the campaign and aims to ensure fair and equitable opportunities for contestants.[9] Turkish campaigns are typically energetic as contestants use a variety of traditional campaigning means such as rallies, campaign stands, posters, banners, party flags, canvassing and vehicles with loudspeakers. Languages other than Turkish as well as sign language are used in the campaigns. According to Turkish Law, it is forbidden to make election propaganda in a foreign country. This law can be circumvented to a certain degree by organizing "informative seminars" instead of "propaganda meetings".[10]
Political parties that received at least three per cent of votes in the last parliamentary elections are entitled to annual public funding on a proportional basis, as well as campaign funding but only for parliamentary elections. Parties also receive funding through membership fees and individual donations. Donations from public legal entities, state and public organizations and foreign sources are not allowed. An individual may donate up to a certain amount annually to a party. There is no ceiling for annual party and campaign-related expenditure. Parties declare their campaign funds solely through annual financial reports. The Constitutional Court audits the reports. Independent candidates declare their campaign funds through personal tax declarations. Possible sanctions for breaches include warnings, imprisonment from three months to three years, monetary fines and dissolution of the party.[9]
The list below shows the election results of the multi-party period in Turkey since 1946.
By-elections in Turkey are regulated in accordance with Article 7 of the Law on Parliamentary Elections. Accordingly, by-elections are held in case of a vacancy in the membership of the Parliament. According to the constitution, by-elections are held once in each election period, and by-elections cannot be held unless 30 months have passed and 1 year before the parliamentary elections. However, if a province or constituency does not have any members in the Parliament, by-elections are held in that constituency on the first Sunday after 90 days following the vacancy.[11]
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