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119-756: After a disappointing result at the June 2015 general election (where the party won just 0.06% of the vote), Tarhan decided to boycott the snap general election in November . The party's performance at the June general election and the decision to boycott the November general election gave rise to inner-party arguments, resulting in the executive taking the decision to disband the party in December 2015. The Anatolia Party has been described by Tarhan as laicist and progressive, in favour of an impartial justice system, democracy and unity. The party

238-527: A Pan-Turkist and Turkish nationalist political agenda throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Devlet Bahçeli took over after Türkeş's death in 1997. The party's youth wing is the Grey Wolves ( Bozkurtlar ) organization, which is also known as the "Nationalist Hearths" ( Ülkü Ocakları ) which played one of the biggest roles during the political violence in Turkey in the 1970s . Alparslan Türkeş founded

357-746: A schism within the party , resulting in Meral Akşener leaving MHP to found the center-right İYİ Party . The MHP supported a 'Yes' vote in the 2017 referendum , and formed the People's Alliance electoral pact with the AKP for the 2018 Turkish general election . MHP currently supports a minority government led by the AKP, and has 48 MPs in the Turkish Parliament. The MHP represents the Nine-Light doctrine , based on Turkish nationalism shaped by Islam . The MHP

476-434: A CHP Ankara MP, Emine Ülker Tarhan was a nationalist within her party. She was seen as a potential CHP presidential candidate in the 2014 presidential election , where Kılıçdaroğlu chose to nominate former Organisation of Islamic Co-operation secretary general Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu instead. With strong opposition from several party members, Tarhan declared that she would not run as a rival. Several CHP MPs openly criticised

595-635: A Turkey without Disabilities and the National Alliance Platform joined the Anatolia Party. The Republican People's Party (CHP) has and continues to observe a split between the Kemalists who emphasize on nationalism and laicism and those who are more tolerant to non-secular and decentralized policies. A new initiative set out by CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu led to the creation of a 'New CHP' ( Yeni CHP, abbreviated YCHP), which aimed to increase

714-488: A big city to earn as much an extra $ 646 annually. The MHP stated that their economic policies would create 700,000 jobs, increase the national income per person to $ 13.3K, and increase exports to $ 238 billion while keeping annual growth at 5.2 percent between 2016 and 2019, although this did not occur, as the GDP per capita and standard of living plummeted in Turkey from 12,614 USD in 2014 to 9,126 in 2019. In July 2015, amidst

833-573: A certain number of MPs in proportion to their population. The Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey conducts population reviews of each district before the election and can increase or decrease a district's number of seats according to their electorate. In all but three cases, electoral districts shared the same name and borders of the 81 Provinces of Turkey , with the exception of İzmir , Istanbul and Ankara . Provinces electing between 19 and 36 MPs were split into two electoral districts, while any province electing above 36 MPs were divided into three. As

952-514: A coalition with the AKP but would consider a coalition deal with the CHP. Despite Demirtaş's staunch opposition to an AKP-HDP coalition, the AKP were widely expected to negotiate with the HDP in order to put a series of constitutional changes to a referendum. In order to do so, the government would need 330 votes in parliament, with the HDP and AKP's joint seats totalling 338. A confidence-and-supply agreement with

1071-506: A coalition. MHP deputy leader Celal Adan claimed that 'even using our party's name in the same sentence as the HDP will be counted as cruelty by us.' In early September 2015, the MHP and the HDP both voted against the new interim election government ministers from taking their oaths of office, causing speculation of whether the MHP was dropping their harsh stance against the HDP. However, Semih Yalçın downplayed any notions of an alliance between

1190-500: A doctor'. However, the MHP formed a coalition with the centre-left Democratic Left Party in 1999 and fielded a joint presidential candidate with the centre-left CHP in 2014 , making a potential coalition with the CHP a possibility. The HDP have also signalled a potential coalition with the CHP, though co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş staunchly rejected any electoral alliance between them. On 2 June, Demirtaş stated that they would never form

1309-462: A population of 3 million, due to be complete by 2035. The MHP has implemented one of the lowest application fees of any party for potential candidates. Between 12 and 18 March, all male, female and disabled citizens wishing to apply had to pay a fee of ₺2,000. The MHP had charged ₺2,500 in the 2011 general election . In response to plans to build a hotel in a greenfield site at İstinye in Istanbul ,

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1428-405: A possible CHP-MHP-HDP coalition, since all three parties are fiercely critical of the governing AKP. It was perceived to be unlikely that the MHP and HDP, which are right-wing Turkish nationalist and left-wing Kurdish nationalist parties respectively, would join a coalition together. This was confirmed when MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli recommended that those who suggested such a coalition to 'see

1547-405: A potential outcome of this election and the first to be formed since 1999 . Foreign embassies in Turkey have expressed their expectation for a coalition while speculation in the media has centred over the possible make-up of the incoming government. In April, the CHP announced that it could form a coalition with any party that supports judicial independence and the separation of powers and hinted at

1666-487: A pre-election alliance deal that the two parties had made in the 2007 general election . The Patriotic Party (VP) proposed a merger with the CHP on the condition that it stood up for the 6 principles of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , though the CHP has said it would not take such proposals seriously. Two minor parties, namely the Revolutionary People's Party (DHP) and Socialist Workers' Party of Turkey (TSİP) backed

1785-450: A referendum. With drafting a new constitution being a central part of the AKP's manifesto, the party is expected to promote a presidential system and an advancement in the Solution process with Kurdish rebels in a new constitution. Critics have argued that such efforts would lead to a further decline in the separation of powers and democratic checks and balances, while the AKP has argued that

1904-468: A statement accusing Gökçek of bringing personal and family issues into the political sphere and attempting to secure parliamentary candidacy for his son, for which he would not respect the Prime Minister's demands. The Ankara Attorney General began a criminal investigation into both individuals, though Arınç has parliamentary immunity from prosecution until the election. The party's manifesto emphasises

2023-684: A strong, international response to terrorism and to raise the minimum wage to ₺1,400. The MHP spent over ₺40 million of the ₺77 million it obtained from the Treasury on its election campaign, holding a rally in Rize for the first time in 20 years. In the space of one month (between 6 May and 6 June), the MHP conducted election rallies in 60 provinces , with one clashing with a HDP rally in Mersin . Numerous breakouts of violence between MHP and HDP supporters were also documented in their respective election events. One of

2142-402: A violent coup d'état led by General Kenan Evren , the party was banned, along with all other active political parties at the time, and many of its leading members were imprisoned. Many party members joined the neoliberal Anavatan Partisi or various Islamist parties. Party member, Agah Oktay Güner , noted that the party's ideology was in power while its members were in prison. The party

2261-521: A wave of protests against the Xinjiang conflict , MHP-affiliated Ülkücü attacked South Korean tourists on Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square . In an interview with Turkish columnist Ahmet Hakan , MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli played the attacks down, stating that "These are young kids. They may have been provoked. Plus, how are you going to differentiate between Korean and Chinese? They both have slanted eyes. Does it really matter?" Bahceli's remarks, including

2380-484: Is a Turkish far-right , ultranationalist political party . The group is often described as neo-fascist , and has been linked to violent paramilitaries and organized crime groups . Its leader is Devlet Bahçeli . The party was formed in 1969 by former Turkish Army colonel Alparslan Türkeş , who had become leader of the Republican Villagers Nation Party (CKMP) in 1965. The party mainly followed

2499-494: Is by chance, or whether it was planned by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government when they proposed to reduce the parliamentary terms from five years to four in the 2007 constitutional referendum , are still ongoing. Speculation as to what the AKP government will do during four years of electorally unchecked power should they win generated both favourable predictions and concerns. While four years without elections may allow

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2618-453: Is widely described as a neo-fascist party Since the 1990s it has, under the leadership of Devlet Bahçeli, gradually moderated its programme, turning from ethnic to cultural nationalism and conservatism and stressing the unitary nature of the Turkish state. Notably, it has moved from strict secularism to a more pro-Islamic stance, and has – at least in public statements – accepted

2737-513: The 2014 local elections , the AKP won 42.87% of the vote, which would have translated into 285–300 seats had it been a general election. The opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) would have won 130–145 seats, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) would have won 75–85 and Kurdish nationalist independent candidates would win between 30 and 45 seats. Even if the AKP had sought backing from independent Kurdish candidates as part of

2856-547: The 2014 presidential election , especially due to opinion polls predicting a comfortable victory for Erdoğan in the first round. This would allow the AKP's new leader to seek an electoral mandate in their own right rather than serving the remainder of Erdoğan's term before seeking re-election. Although Erdoğan did win outright with 51.79% of the vote, his popular vote share was significantly below what opinion polls predicted. The presidential election results, according to several political commentators and journalists, greatly reduced

2975-609: The Constitution . The 2015 general election was the first general election to be held after the anti-government Gezi Park protests in 2013 and also the first since the 2013 government corruption scandal in which many AKP politicians, including Erdoğan, had been incriminated. The AKP's foreign policy, the ongoing Syrian Civil War and the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant were also key issues. In late 2014, ISIL's siege of

3094-585: The Felicity Party (SP) and the Great Union Party (BBP), but said nothing regarding the Conservative Ascension Party (MYP), which had long called for a union of nationalist parties. In the end, the MHP decided not to pursue a formal electoral alliance, but said it was open to defectors from any party. The MYP subsequently announced support for the MHP. The BBP has since decided to contest

3213-527: The Gülen Movement , though criticised the AKP due to their previous relations with the Movement. In May, the AKP appeared to have started a smear campaign against Meral Akşener , one of the MHP's most prominent politicians, claiming to be in possession of a video recording of her with private content. Akşener subsequently began legal proceedings against two pro-government journalists whom she accused of starting

3332-541: The Kanal Istanbul project and expand Turkey's high speed rail system and 4G coverage despite President Erdoğan's insistence that 4G would be a waste of time. The manifesto also commits to a greater foreign policy role in the Middle East and North Africa and continuing to aim for European Union membership . The party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu stated that his party would lead the next government if they won 35% of

3451-579: The National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) Hakan Fidan . President Erdoğan's son-in-law and former CHP leader Deniz Baykal 's chief advisor were selected as AKP candidates. In the run-up to the election, the media observed a potential disagreement between the AKP government and President Erdoğan, with Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç openly criticising Erdoğan's comments on the ongoing Solution process with Kurdish rebels . Erdoğan's allegedly critical stance on government policy

3570-564: The Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey announced that 32 parties fit the criteria in order to field candidates in the general election. In order to be eligible, parties need to have formed local organisations at least six months before the election and have completed their party congresses by the election. Furthermore, they need local party offices in at least half of the 81 Provinces of Turkey . Of these 32 parties, 21 decided to submit candidate lists for election. The deadline to do so

3689-411: The political conflict with the Gülen Movement in the Turkish political and legal system, an economic slowdown as well as the growing political polarisation in Turkish politics. The murder of Özgecan Aslan and the 2014 Soma mine disaster also raised the issues of women's and workers' rights respectively, while calls for minority rights for Turkey's Kurdish and Alevi minorities were also made by

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3808-582: The 10% election threshold . The Communist Party (KP) contested all 550 seats by fielding female candidates only. The parties contesting the election are listed below according to their position on the ballot paper. Numerous breakaway parties, such as the Anatolia Party , the Democratic Progress Party and the Nation and Justice Party were formed by former MPs of the CHP and AKP. In the end, only

3927-580: The 10% election threshold. The party's leader Çetin Özaçıkgöz met with the leaders of the Centre Party , Rights and Equality Party (HEPAR) and the Great Union Party (BBP). The 2015 general election was the fourth general election contested by the governing incumbent Justice and Development Party (AKP). Since the party observes a by-law that imposes a three-term limit on its MPs, AKP parliamentarians elected in 2002 , 2007 and 2011 were unable to seek re-election in 2015. Many AKP MPs standing down due to

4046-559: The 10% threshold. The party has also been described as following the ideology of Islamokemalism and espousing Turkish-Islamic synthesis . Due to their ideological differences, the MHP is strongly opposed to any form of dialogue with the left-wing pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which Devlet Bahçeli has often opposed by voting against in Parliament. A notable example was in the June–July 2015 parliamentary speaker elections, where

4165-463: The AKP and widely known for his influence in the Turkish judiciary, Gülen had allegedly sought to increase influence over the CHP after falling out with Erdoğan in 2013. The difference between Gülen's Islamist and the CHP's secular ideology resulted in inner-party controversy and led to the resignation of İzmir MP Birgül Ayman Güler in January 2015. The party voiced support Bank Asya , a pro-Gülen bank that

4284-562: The AKP by-law that had barred Erdoğan from standing for a third term, 70 other AKP MPs who had served since 2002 were also unable to contest the election. The AKP continued its policy of renewing its parliamentary candidates by deselecting 105 of its serving MPs, notably including controversial Balıkesir MP Tülay Babuşcu . 99 of the AKP's 550 parliamentary candidates were women. Notable yet unsuccessful applicants were singer İbrahim Tatlıses , former model Tuğçe Kazaz , Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek 's son Osman Gökçek and former Undersecretary to

4403-652: The AKP for the 2018 Turkish general election . MHP currently supports a minority government led by the AKP. In 1965, nationalist politician and ex- Colonel Alparslan Türkeş, who had trained in the United States for NATO , founded the Turkish Gladio Special Warfare Department , gained control of the conservative rural Republican Villagers Nation Party ( Turkish : Cumhuriyetçi Köylü Millet Partisi , CKMP). During an Extraordinary Great Congress held at Adana in Turkey on 1969, Türkeş changed

4522-543: The AKP government attempted to shut down in 2014 and also applied to visit the head of the pro-Gülen Samanyolu TV in Silivri Prison . The CHP planned 50 electoral rallies throughout Turkey in what Kılıçdaroğlu styled as a 'meeting marathon' (Miting maratonu) . During visits to different provinces, Kılıçdaroğlu is also due to make unplanned visits to town centres and other public places to meet with voters directly. Special measures were taken for people with disabilities, with

4641-628: The AKP government. Turkey was to elect 550 Members of Parliament to the Grand National Assembly using the D'Hondt method , a party-list proportional representation system. In order to return MPs to parliament, a party needed to gain more than 10% of the vote nationwide, meaning that parties may win the most votes in certain areas but not win any MPs due to a low result overall. The parliamentary threshold of 10% had been subject to intense scrutiny by opposition members, since all votes cast for parties polling under 10% are spoilt and allow

4760-675: The AKP in the event that the HDP failed to win above 10% of the vote. There was speculation as to whether the AKP forced Öcalan to pressure the HDP to contest the election as a party in order to boost their own number of MPs. The party charged a ₺2,000 application fee for prospective male candidates, a ₺1,000 fee for female and young candidates under the age of 27 and no fee was collected from disabled applicants. Applications for candidacy were received between 16 February and 2 March. Nationalist Movement Party The Nationalist Movement Party (alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party ; Turkish : Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi , MHP )

4879-462: The AKP's founder who constitutionally must remain neutral as president, as the de facto leader of the AKP. Of the 20 parties contesting the election, only two party leaders were women. These were Emine Ülker Tarhan of the Anatolia Party and Özlem Şen Abay of the Communist Party . Polls showed that the AKP, CHP, MHP and potentially the HDP were the parties most likely to enter parliament during

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4998-401: The AKP. This caused a schism within the party , resulting in Meral Akşener leaving MHP to found the nationalist, centrist, and pro-European İYİ Party . Many high-ranking MHP members such as Ümit Özdağ , Sinan Oğan , and Koray Aydın would also either leave it or be expelled later. The MHP supported a 'Yes' vote in the 2017 referendum , and formed the People's Alliance electoral pact with

5117-481: The Anatolia Party fielded candidates for election. The AKP, CHP and MHP all held leadership elections in the lead-up to the election, with Ahmet Davutoğlu elected unopposed as the AKP leader during the party's first extraordinary congress in August 2014. The MHP's long-time leader Devlet Bahçeli was re-elected unopposed during the 2015 MHP Extraordinary Congress, with his rivals unable to gain enough signatures to contest

5236-400: The CHP's vote, but to win the 2015 election. An opinion poll conducted by SONAR showed the party polling 8.04% of the vote without causing a significant vote split with the CHP. It was deemed likely that if true, the majority of this support came from former non-voters. Regardless, the party still polled under the 10% threshold necessary to gain seats in parliament, and more recent polls showed

5355-596: The CHP. In the event that ANAPAR did enter parliament, a triple CHP-MHP-ANAPAR coalition would have been likely. According to the newspaper Cumhuriyet , a senior CHP politician was quoted as saying that an AKP-CHP coalition with Abdullah Gül as AKP leader is a potential eventuality. Gül, who was President of Turkey from 2007 to 2014, was known for his mediating stance in contrast to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 's controversial and allegedly polarising speeches at times of political crisis. The Nationalist Movement Party claimed that they would consider an electoral alliance with

5474-539: The HDP as a threat to the party's support base during a Central Executive Committee meeting on 29 January and has sought to take 'measures' against the HDP. The ÖDP has ruled out negotiating with the CHP while the EMEP leader Selma Gürkan has stressed the importance of doing so. Despite key HDP leaders being opposed to talks with the CHP, the party's deputy leader Sezgin Tanrıkulu was allegedly engaged in closed negotiations with

5593-445: The HDP in such situations where more than a majority vote in parliament is needed was considered as a possible option. The MHP have a history of helping out the AKP, most notably during the 2007 presidential election . An AKP-MHP coalition is therefore also a possibility. The centre-left Democratic Left Party (DSP) said that it would consider joining a coalition with the CHP should it win representation in Parliament, though ruled out

5712-464: The HDP so that the talks do not generate controversy within the party's parliamentary group or voters. In March 2015, a document allegedly regarding a closure case against the Republican People's Party was leaked online, causing many opposition politicians to accuse the AKP of attempting to eliminate competition through anti-democratic practices. The party's leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu confirmed

5831-415: The MHP announced a new economic manifesto. The MHP promised to improve the situation of Turkey's working poor by lifting taxes on diesel and fertiliser, raising the net minimum wage to $ 518, giving a $ 37 transportation subsidy to every minimum wage worker, and giving those who cannot afford a house an additional $ 92 per month in rental aid. The MHP said these policies would allow a minimum wage earner living in

5950-504: The MHP declared that they would not support any candidate and cast blank votes after the HDP announced support for the Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Deniz Baykal . The MHP also ruled out any prospect of a coalition government that receives support from the HDP after the June 2015 general election resulted in a hung parliament , even rejecting CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's offer of Bahçeli becoming Prime Minister in such

6069-509: The MHP fell below the 10% election threshold and lost all of its parliamentary representation after the newly formed Justice and Development Party (AKP) won a plurality. After the 2007 general election , in which the MHP won back its parliamentary representation with 14.27% of the vote, the party has strongly opposed the peace negotiations between the government and the Kurdistan Workers Party and used to be fiercely critical of

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6188-480: The MHP organised a seed-planting protest in the area in January. Actor Mehmet Aslan allegedly declared his potential candidacy during the event. The MHP has been predicted to build on its success in the 2014 local elections and significantly improve its vote share, with support coming from former AKP nationalist voters who are disillusioned with the Kurdish peace process. the MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli claimed that there

6307-428: The MHP's election songs was an adaptation of the popular Turkish folk music song Ankara'nın Bağları . Emboldened by the 9.77% of the vote won by Peoples' Democratic Party co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş in the 2014 presidential election , The HDP contested the election by fielding party candidates rather than independent candidates. This was controversial since most of the HDP's votes would have been transferred to

6426-509: The SP in 2011, while SP candidates were placed top in provinces in which the SP had beaten the BBP in 2011. This meant that an SP candidate was placed first in 55 provinces, while a BBP candidate was placed first in 30. The remaining positions subsequently alternated between SP and BBP candidates. The True Path Party (DYP) expressed its intention to form an alliance with six other parties in order to overcome

6545-519: The Syrian Civil War . Growing allegations of government corruption and authoritarianism , mainly originating from the 2013 corruption scandal and the 2013 Gezi Park protests respectively, were also part of the issues raised during the election campaign. Electoral fraud claims and political violence caused controversy in the run-up to the election. Several candidates and party offices were subject to politically motivated attacks, culminating in

6664-410: The aimed two-thirds majority for the implementation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call for an executive presidency . The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) also fared worse than their 2011 result , and won 132 seats with 25.0% of the vote. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) had been projected to win over many disaffected voters from the AKP. Its share of the vote increased, and

6783-481: The bureaucracy during these governments during the height of the political violence between rightists and leftists . On 27 May 1980, the party's deputy leader and former government minister Gün Sazak was assassinated by members of the Marxist–Leninist militant group Revolutionary Left ( Turkish : Devrimci Sol or Dev Sol ) in front of his home. When the Turkish army seized power on 12 September 1980 , in

6902-428: The campaigns formally ended at 18:00 local time on 6 June 2015. Voting subsequently took place between 07:00 and 17:00 local time on Sunday 7 June 2015. Prime Minister Erdoğan, who was re-elected for a third time in the 2011 general election , was barred from standing as an MP for a fourth term by the AKP's by-laws. Erdoğan became his party's presidential candidate for the 2014 presidential election and won narrowly in

7021-420: The centre-right. The CHP manifesto announced on 19 April includes measures to increase disability benefits, the minimum wage to ₺1,500 and to extend general health insurance to 3.2 million people in order to combat poverty. A significant pledge made by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu , signed by a notary , is to grant payouts to pensioners twice a year on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha . The party also planned to abolish

7140-590: The choice of candidate, with six even endorsing Tarhan for the candidacy despite her refusal to run. The election resulted in AKP candidate Recep Tayyip Erdoğan winning in the first round with 51.79% of the vote, while İhsanoğlu won 38.44% of the vote despite being backed by 15 opposition parties including the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The poor election result led to CHP members such as Tarhan, Muharrem İnce and Süheyl Batum openly calling for Kılıçdaroğlu's resignation as party leader. Kılıçdaroğlu subsequently called for an extraordinary party convention , where

7259-474: The claims, stating that he had known about the preparations for a closure case for some time. AKP leader Ahmet Davutoğlu denied the claims and called for Kılıçdaroğlu to meet with him to put forward a constitutional amendment that would make it impossible for a political party to be shut down by the courts. The government has consistently accused the CHP of allegedly maintaining links with exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen and his Cemaat Movement . A former ally of

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7378-432: The controversial 'Taşeron' workers contract in order to guarantee workers' rights. The party aims to lower inflation to 4% and unemployment to 5%. On 21 May, the CHP announced a new 'cenetarian project' under the slogan 'Central Turkey' ( Merkez Türkiye ) , aspiring to build a new city to serve as a trade hub between Europe, Asia and other continents. The project would give construction jobs to 2.2 million workers and targets

7497-458: The country into a police state . Turkey's declining human rights record , growing censorship and the authoritarianism of the AKP government also therefore dominated the agenda and the opposition parties' campaigns. Revelations confirming that National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) lorries that were sent to Syria in January 2014 were in fact carrying weapons also resulted in accusations of high treason and war crimes being made against

7616-409: The country's 25th Parliament . The result was the first hung parliament since the 1999 general elections . Unsuccessful attempts to form a coalition government resulted in a snap general election being called for November 2015. The Justice and Development Party (AKP), which had governed Turkey since 2002, lost its parliamentary majority and won 258 seats with 40.9% of the vote, clearly missing

7735-445: The country's three largest provinces, İzmir and Ankara were divided into two subdistricts while Istanbul was divided into three. The distribution of elected MPs per electoral district is shown below. A total of eight electoral districts had their number of MPs adjusted since the 2011 general election by the electoral council, as listed below. The two electoral districts of Ankara also had their boundaries changed. On 1 February,

7854-432: The current constitution is outdated. Despite being constitutionally barred from being partisan, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made several statements in the lead-up to the election that set the AKP's electoral targets higher at 400 MPs, though even pro-AKP polling organisations show that such an eventuality is highly unlikely. Announcing the party's manifesto on 15 April, Davutoğlu claimed that his party aimed to win 55% of

7973-545: The death of four HDP supporters after two bombs exploded during a rally in Diyarbakır on 5 June. The interference of President Erdoğan, who was accused of covertly campaigning for the AKP under the guise of 'public opening' rallies, was also controversial since the president of Turkey was constitutionally required to exercise political neutrality. Despite fraud claims dating back to the hugely controversial 2014 local elections and numerous claims of misconduct on polling day,

8092-418: The defamation campaign against her. One of these journalists, Latif Erdoğan, claimed that the Gülen Movement had obtained the recording to blackmail Akşener, though both Akşener and Gülen's lawyer denied the claims and accused them of being baseless. The MHP's manifesto pledged to extend education to nine years and to end the Solution process with Kurdish militants. In their constitutional reform proposals,

8211-565: The early life and career of their party leader. Candidate applications ended on 2 March 2015 with 2,822 applications. Party lists were selected either by the party leader or though preliminary elections that were held in 51 provinces . Kılıçdaroğlu himself decided to contest preliminary elections in İzmir's 2nd electoral district . Candidates who applied for selection by the party leadership were chosen in early April. Key candidates such as Kamer Genç , Hüseyin Aygün and Umut Oran failed to make

8330-472: The election under the SP banner, and will thus be absent from the ballot papers. The Nation and Justice Party (MİLAD) planned to join the SP and BBP, but it did not actualise. The new electoral alliance between these parties was named the National Alliance (Millî İttifak) . The candidate lists were drawn up such that BBP candidates were placed top in electoral districts in which they won more votes than

8449-627: The election was largely praised by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe for being well-organised and was declared free and fair by the European Parliament . The governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) sought a fourth consecutive term in government. Its leader, Ahmet Davutoğlu , who had taken over from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in August 2014, sought a full term as Prime Minister of Turkey in his own right. The AKP's goal

8568-423: The election would be brought forward in order not to clash with summer examinations remained. In the end, no such initiative was taken and Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey (YSK) went on with the date 7 June. Some schools changed the times of examinations in order to not clash with polling day. The AKP were widely expected to target at least 330 seats in parliament in order to pursue constitutional reforms. In

8687-439: The election. A poll also showed the Anatolia Party polling close to the 10% parliamentary threshold at 8.04%, though more recent polls did not shown the party to command significant support. Any party winning below 10% of the vote does not gain any parliamentary representation and has their votes reallocated to the winning party's vote share, giving them a large winners bonus. A coalition government had been widely considered as

8806-540: The first round with 51.79% of the vote. His ascension to the presidency required him to sever all ties with political parties and step down from parliament, requiring the AKP to elect a new leader. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was announced as a candidate for the leadership by the party's Central Executive Committee on 21 August and was unanimously elected unopposed during the party's 1st Extraordinary Congress held on 27 August. The AKP has publicly targeted 330 seats in order to be able to submit constitutional changes to

8925-506: The future. Such promises include the sending of Erdoğan to the Court of Cassation and turning the new presidential palace into a museum about Atatürk and the Republic . The MHP began its electoral rallies on 6 May in the north of the country, with Bahçeli also making stops at local cafes during his campaign to directly meet with voters. Bahçeli endorsed the new legal process that had begun against

9044-461: The governing AKP over government corruption and authoritarianism. Nevertheless, the MHP has often been referred to by critics as the "AKP's lifeline", having covertly helped the AKP in situations such as the 2007 presidential election , repealing the headscarf ban , and the June–July 2015 parliamentary speaker elections . Since 2015, Bahçeli has been openly supporting Erdogan and the AKP. This caused

9163-474: The government and the Kurdistan Workers Party and used to be fiercely critical of the governing AKP over government corruption and authoritarianism. Nevertheless, the MHP has often been referred to by critics as the "AKP's lifeline", having covertly helped the AKP in situations such as the 2007 presidential election , repealing the headscarf ban , and the June–July 2015 parliamentary speaker elections . Since 2015, Bahçeli has been openly supporting Erdoğan and

9282-498: The government to undertake widespread necessary economic reforms, critics of the AKP argue that it is an opportunity to further erode the diminishing checks and balances and separation of powers in the Turkish political and legal systems. The AKP also support a presidential system , which would give greater powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan . The AKP government had allegedly proposed to hold an early general election in November 2014 if their candidate Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won

9401-426: The government's collapse in 2002. In the 2002 general election , the MHP fell below the 10% election threshold and lost all of its parliamentary representation after the newly formed Justice and Development Party (AKP) won a plurality. After the 2007 general election , in which the MHP won back its parliamentary representation with 14.27% of the vote, the party has strongly opposed the peace negotiations between

9520-483: The ideology of Turkish-Islamic synthesis. AO's ideas, which have been compared to those of the French Nouvelle Droite , had a determining influence on MHP's programmes and served to lend the far-right party a more legitimate, respectable appearance. The MHP won enough seats in the 1973 and 1977 general election to take part in the " Nationalist Front " governments during the 1970s. The party infiltrated

9639-526: The ineffectiveness of the party in opposition. The Anatolia Party was founded on 14 November 2014, with Tarhan as leader and a 43-member executive committee with members formerly affiliated with the CHP, the Democratic Left Party (DSP) and the Motherland Party (ANAP). The list of founding members can be found here. Deputy leader Yunus Yunusoğlu claimed that the party's purpose was to not split

9758-453: The leadership election. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was re-elected as CHP leader during the party's 2014 Extraordinary Convention , defeating his rival Muharrem İnce . The HDP has a co-presidential system, where one male and one female leader are elected. The party's chairman and chairwoman are Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ . Many opposition commentators and opinion polls show that the public largely regard President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ,

9877-476: The name of the party to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and with the support of Dündar Taşer , a party logo depicting the three crescent was elected. The MHP embraced Turkish nationalism, and under the leadership of Türkeş, militias connected to the party were responsible for assassinating numerous left-wing intellectuals and academics, including some Kurds, during the 1970s. The leader of

9996-424: The need for an updated, civil constitution and a presidential system . Turkish nationalists particularly criticised the party's apparent commitment to remove the word 'Turk' from the constitution. The manifesto was accompanied by a 100-point 'New Turkey Contract' that outlined the party's key constitutional amendment proposals. Other policies included raising pensions, investing in infrastructure, continue developing

10115-411: The ongoing solution process with Kurdish PKK rebels, it was still unlikely that they would have held a sufficient number of seats to put constitutional changes to a referendum. As a result, the prospect for an early general election on political grounds diminished. The main issues that formed the agenda during the run-up to the election included the Solution process with Kurdish separatist rebels ,

10234-420: The opposition. In the run-up to the election, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also held controversial rallies, during which he openly called for a presidential system of government. The prospect of a presidential system, as opposed to the current parliamentary system , also dominated the agenda before the election, as well as Erdoğan's influence in the political system despite being required to remain neutral by

10353-451: The parties overcoming the national threshold to win seats much more easily, e.g. in the 2002 general election where the AKP won with 34.28% of the vote but won nearly two-thirds of the seats . The parliamentary threshold does not apply to independents , which is why Kurdish nationalist politicians who poll strongly in the south-east but are not able to win 10% of the overall vote stood as independents rather than as party candidates. This

10472-502: The party accompanying its televised electoral rallies with sign language. The party's inaugural electoral rally was held on 11 April in the Kartal district of Istanbul. The rally was styled as the 'National Applause rally' (Milletçe Alkışlıyoruz mitingi) . During the rally, Kılıçdaroğlu appeared to unveil a new slogan, 'Do not be afraid, do not give up, do not cower' (Korkmayın, yılmayın, sinmeyin) . The CHP has also targeted to win votes from

10591-413: The party after criticizing the Republican People's Party (CHP) for moving too far away from the nationalist principles of their founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , claiming that he would not have founded the MHP had the CHP not deviated from Atatürk's ideology. The MHP won enough seats in the 1973 and 1977 general election to take part in the " Nationalist Front " governments during the 1970s. The party

10710-405: The party delegate system meant that Kılıçdaroğlu was re-elected comfortably against rival Muharrem İnce. This led to further disillusionment within the party, and Tarhan announced her resignation from the CHP on 31 October 2014. In her resignation letter, she criticised the lack of any potential electoral prospects in the critical June 2015 general election , the selfishness of career politicians and

10829-619: The party lists. A female Armenian candidate and a Romani candidate were both amongst the CHP lists, with the potential to become the first female Armenian and Romani MP in the history of the Turkish Republic. The CHP has expressed interest in negotiating with the left-wing HDP as well as other left-wing parties such as the Labour Party (EMEP) and the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP). Despite this, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu identified

10948-406: The party promised to keep a constitutional reference to the Turkish ethnicity while not allowing other minorities to obtain constitutional recognition. Pressing for a manufacturing based economy, the MHP has also pledged to investigate every individual involved in the 2013 government corruption scandal and to establish an anti-corruption commission to lead the investigation. The MHP has also promised

11067-409: The party to not command any significant support. In the event of surpassing the 10% threshold in the next general election, a triple coalition with the CHP and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) was a possible eventuality. However, the party only managed to win 0.06% of the vote in the June 2015 general election , coming 15th out of 20 parties. Tarhan subsequently lost her seat in Parliament. The party

11186-431: The party won 80 seats with 16.3% of the vote. The new Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) decided to contest the election as a party rather than fielding candidates as independents , despite concerns that it could have fallen below the 10% election threshold and lose all representation in Parliament. The party fared better than expectations, which was a key factor for denying the AKP another absolute majority: it won 13.1% of

11305-578: The party's appeal to the Kurds in the south-east of the country. This led to opposition by the party's nationalist faction, and the YCHP initiative has been perceived as a failure, especially after many concerns were raised whether the party would continue to respect the principles of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and its stance against the Kurdistan Workers' Party . Entering parliament in the 2011 general election as

11424-506: The party's youth wing, known as the Grey Wolves after Turkic mythology , claimed that they had an intelligence organization that was superior to the state's own. On the other hand, MHP had links to the Aydınlar Ocağı (AO; "Hearth of Intellectuals"), a right-wing think tank launched in 1970 by established university professors, which served as a connecting link between secular -conservative, nationalist and Islamic rightists, promoting

11543-410: The party-specific term limits, numerous MPs declined to run again despite being eligible to. Most of these candidates came from the Republican People's Party (CHP), from which 15 of its 125 MPs did not submit applications for re-election. On 5 January 2015, the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey announced that the general election would take place on 7 June and also released a decision in regards to

11662-481: The possibility of holding an early election, although some reports claimed that the government were preparing for an early election in April 2015. In October 2014, the AKP parliamentary group leader Naci Bostancı ruled out any prospect of holding the election early and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu stated in November that they would be held in June as per normal. Despite this, speculation in December 2014 as to whether

11781-539: The predominantly Kurdish city of Kobanî in Syria caused deadly riots in south-eastern Turkey, with many Kurdish citizens protesting the inaction of the Turkish government. This resulted in the government passing a controversial 'Domestic Security' bill that gave significant powers to the police forces, with many opposition politicians and the European Union accusing the AKP of placing Turkey under ' martial law ' and turning

11900-440: The process for standing as a candidate. Senior judicial officials including judges, municipal mayors, municipal and provincial councillors and senior members of any public supervisory board must present their resignation or retirement applications to their employer by 10 February 2015 in order to be eligible to stand. The candidacy of Atilla Sertel , who was elected as the CHP's 6th candidate in İzmir's second electoral district ,

12019-508: The rules of parliamentary democracy . Some scholars doubt the sincerity and credibility of this turn and suspect the party of still pursuing a neo-fascist agenda behind a more moderate and pro-democratic façade. Nevertheless, MHP's mainstream overture has strongly increased its appeal to voters and it has grown to the country's third-strongest party, continuously represented in the National Assembly since 2007 with voter shares well above

12138-537: The three-term rule were either former or serving ministers, nine of which were serving in the outgoing First Davutoğlu Cabinet . The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) observes a two-term limit, meaning that all MPs elected in 2007 from the Thousand Hope Candidates block and re-elected in 2011 from the Labour, Democracy and Freedom Block were unable to contest the election from within the HDP party lists. Despite

12257-402: The two parties, stating that "a broken clock will still show the correct time once a day, the HDP can sometimes take a correct decision in Parliament. Showing this as a 'MHP-HDP coalition' is a deliberate diversion." In 2021 Bahçeli has demanded the closure of the HDP in several speeches, a move that is considered un-democratic and authoritarian. During the June 2015 Turkish general election ,

12376-441: The vote and took 80 seats, the same as the MHP. The potential for a hung parliament had been widely considered and predicted before the election so the country and politicians were better prepared for the constitutional process that would follow such a result. Campaigning before the election focused mainly on a faltering economy , the political conflict between the government and the Gülen Movement , and Turkey's involvement in

12495-439: The vote, a rise of 9% from its 2011 result , in order to be able to form the next government. Popular support for the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) had surged during the 2014 local elections , and it aimed to participate in a coalition government. However, several politicians from the CHP and MHP resigned in protest against their unrealistic electoral prospects, and formed their own parties. The most prominent break-away party

12614-476: The vote. This indicates a 9% rise since the 2011 general election . Kılıçdaroğlu had been re-elected as leader during the party's 18th Extraordinary Convention held in September 2014, which had been convened after the party's poor performance in the 2014 local elections and the 2014 presidential election . On 28 March 2015, the CHP released a documentary named Anadolu'nun Kemal'i (The Kemal of Anatolia ) about

12733-479: The votes, and criticised Kılıçdaroğlu for his target of 35%. The party held its first electoral rally in Erzurum on 25 April. President Erdoğan also held its own 'public opening' rallies throughout the country, where he was accused of making partisan statements in favour of the AKP. His excuse of 'public opening' was branded as a farce by the opposition, which accused Erdoğan of breaching presidential neutrality. Due to

12852-418: Was elected his successor. The party won 18% of the vote and 129 seats in the election that followed, in 1999 , its best ever result. Bahçeli subsequently became Deputy Prime Minister after entering a coalition with the Democratic Left Party (DSP) and the Motherland Party (ANAP), though his calls for an early election resulted in the government's collapse in 2002. In the subsequent 2002 general election ,

12971-565: Was 7 April 2015 by 17:00 local time . The delegation of one party, the First Party, suffered an accident on the way to deliver their candidate lists to the Supreme Electoral Council and was subsequently delayed by 22 minutes. The number of parties fielding candidates therefore fell to 20. The Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) and the Rights and Equality Party (HEPAR) both announced that they would be fielding candidates as independents in order to bypass

13090-538: Was a very low possibility that such voters would return to the AKP, accusing the AKP of continuously changing ideologies from the Islamist National View to the more moderate Conservative democracy . The MHP has strongly targeted the AKP in their campaign, accusing the Supreme Electoral Council of severing no-one apart from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and vowing to bring violations of the law to justice in

13209-521: Was annulled by the Supreme Electoral Council for attending a press association general assembly after this deadline. On 20 January, the Supreme Electoral Council ruled that candidates wishing to stand as an independent must resign any party memberships they may hold. The first set of campaigning restrictions came into effect ten days before the election on 28 May, with opinion polls being banned and meaning that last-minute swings could not be tracked. The last political rallies were held on Friday 5 June and

13328-465: Was banned following the 1980 coup , but reestablished with its original name in 1993. After Türkeş's death and the election of Devlet Bahçeli as his successor, the party won 18% of the vote and 129 seats in the 1999 general election , its best ever result. Bahçeli subsequently became Deputy Prime Minister after entering a coalition with the Democratic Left Party (DSP) and the Motherland Party (ANAP), though his calls for an early election resulted in

13447-446: Was created in response to the 12-year-long rule of the conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the ineffectiveness of the CHP in opposition. The founding members of the party include a range of opposition intellectuals, former CHP members and also politicians formerly aligned with the centre-left Democratic Left Party (DSP) and the conservative Motherland Party (ANAP). In March 2015, two minuscule parties, namely Party for

13566-469: Was disestablished on 21 December 2015 after inner-party arguments and poor election results. June 2015 Turkish general election Ahmet Davutoğlu AK Party Ahmet Davutoğlu (interim) AK Party General elections were held in Turkey on 7 June 2015 to elect 550 members to the Grand National Assembly . This was the 24th general election in the history of the Turkish Republic , electing

13685-478: Was reformed in 1983 under the name "Conservative Party" ( Turkish : Muhafazakar Parti ). After 1985, however, the name was changed to the "Nationalist Task Party" ( Turkish : Milliyetçi Çalışma Partisi ) then back again to its former name in 1992. In 1993, Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and five other deputies separated and founded the Great Union Party , which is an Islamist party. After Türkeş's death, Devlet Bahçeli

13804-438: Was the Anatolia Party formed by former CHP MP Emine Ülker Tarhan in November 2014. Other significant factors that opposition parties would also need to overcome were issues such as media bias and electoral fraud , both of which increased sharply in the preceding local and presidential elections. This election is the last election - presidential, local and general - scheduled in Turkey until 2019. Arguments as to whether this

13923-530: Was the case in the 2007 and 2011 general election , where the Kurdish Democratic Society Party and the Peace and Democracy Party fielded independent candidates respectively. Turkey was split into 85 electoral districts at the time, which elect a certain number of Members to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey . The Assembly had a total of 550 seats, which each electoral district allocated

14042-469: Was to win more than 330 seats in order to have the right to put constitutional changes to a referendum, or more ideally 367 seats to bypass a referendum and change the constitution directly within parliament. The Republican People's Party (CHP) aimed to surpass the 30% boundary and to form a government, potentially with the help of smaller parties or in its own right. The CHP's leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu had publicly stated that his party would target 35% of

14161-473: Was widely perceived to be an attempt to win back nationalist voters who had defected to the MHP. A polemic subsequently took place between Arınç and Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek , with Gökçek demanding the former's resignation for criticising the President and accusing him of being a follower of Fethullah Gülen . Despite a statement from Prime Minister Davutoğlu warning both men to end their arguments, Arınç made

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