DEVELOPMENT OF
CONSTITUTIONAL MOVEMENTS IN TURKEY
The Ottoman Empire was among the
first nonWestern nations to establish a constitutional government.
Constitutional movements in the Ottoman Empire, which began during the second
half of the 19th century, can be characterized as the product of the following
developments: the decline of the Ottoman societal system, influence of the
Western European socioeconomic and political developments and emergence of an
enlightenment age in the Ottoman Empire. They were topdown constitutional
movements in contrast with those of the Western countries.
Two
major steps toward a constitutional government were the Rescript of Tanzimat of 1839 and that of Islahat of 1856. The
rescripts were unilateral declarations and recognition by the Sultan of certain
basic human rights. These rescripts also paved the way for the promulgation of
the first Ottoman Constitution in 1876. The 1876 Constitution provided certain
mechanisms checking the absolute power of the Sultan by creating a legislative
assembly partially elected by the people. In 1909, the 1876 Constitution was
substantially amended to increase the powers of the legislature and to restrict
those of the Sultan for developing a democratic monarchical political system
similar to that of the Western European societies.
The 1921 Constitution established
during the War of Independence included rules necessitated by the conditions
and requirements of war. It proclaimed the principle of "national
sovereignty" as an expression of the
radical revolutionary transformation in the Turkish society by
establishing the constitutional principle that the Grand National Assembly is
the sole and true representative of the nation. For realizing this purpose, it
established an assembly government system in which all the powers of
sovereignty were embodied in the parliament.
1924 Constitution
The Republic of Turkey adopted its
first constitution in 1924. It retained the basic principles of the 1921
Constitution, notably the principle of national sovereignty. As in the 1921
Constitution, the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) was considered to be
the "sole representative of the nation." The 1924 Constitution
provided for a continuation of the parliamentary system. Both the legislative
and executive powers were embodied in the Assembly. Although the Assembly had
the power to supervise and dismiss the Government, neither the Government nor
the President had the authority to dissolve the parliament. The 1924
Constitution can be characterized as a step toward a parliamentary system. The
Assembly was able to exercise executive
power through the President and the Council of Ministers. In other words, there
was a clear separation of powers. Meanwhile, the collective responsibility of
the ministers before the Assembly was also adopted. The principle that the President must not bear any political
responsibility was another feature of the 1924 Constitution. The judiciary was
totally separated from the legislative and executive bodies. Judicial power was
to be exercised by independent courts on behalf of the nation.
1961 Constitution
The second constitution of the
Republic of Turkey was adopted in 1961.
In its macrosocietal dynamics, the 1961 Constitution represents a
positive response to the influence of the rising tide of the left and social
state in the world and the semiindustrialized status of economy in Turkey.
Consequently, it established a constitutional system within the framework of
social state, rule of law and a parliamentarian democratic governmental system.
The 1961 Constitution introduced a
bicameral parliament. The National Assembly, one of the parliamentary chambers, consisted of 450 deputies elected
by universal suffrage. The other chamber known as the Senate of the Republic,
included 150 members elected by universal suffrage. Additionally it would
include 15 members appointed by the President, members of the Committee of
National Unity that seized power on May 27, 1960, and former presidents. The
National Assembly had the final say in the lawmaking process.
In the exercise of executive power the
President symbolically represented the
unity and integrity of the State. The Prime Minister and the Ministers made up
the Council of Ministers, who bore political responsibility for the use of this
power.
The 1961 Constitution fully separated the
judiciary, the executive and the
legislative branches under the principle of the separation of powers. In this
system, details regarding the security of judges, as well as matters related to
the full freedom and independence of the courts, and the positions of the
judges and public prosecutors were turned over to the "High Council for
Judges and Public Prosecutors." Furthermore, the concept of the
"Constitutional Court" was first introduced with the 1961
Constitution in accordance with its aim
of establishing a fully developed
concept of the rule of law.
1982 Constitution
The third constitution of the
Republic of Turkey, in effect today, was adopted in 1982. According to the 1982
Constitution, unconditional and unrestricted sovereignty is vested in the
nation. It has been stipulated that the TGNA can convene with onethird of the
total number of members to prevent parliamentary deadlocks. The TGNA can make
decisions with an absolute majority of
those present; however, the quorum for decisions can, under no circumstances,
be less than a quarter plus one of the total number of members. The fundamental change in the legislature by
the 1982 Constitution was the abolition of the Senate of the Republic. While
executive functions are carried out by the President of the Republic and the
Council of Ministers, judicial power is exercised by independent courts.
Article 2 of the Constitution describes the Republic as a democratic, secular
and social state governed by the rule of law.
The Constitution states that all Turkish
citizens are united in national honor and pride, national joy and grief, their
rights and duties towards the national entity, blessings and burdens, and in
every manifestation of national life. The Constitution stipulates that the
Republic of Turkey is committed to the nationalism of Atatürk. It also states
that the Turkish State is an indivisible whole with its territory and nation.
Democracy is obtained and preserved through state administration's adherence to
law which limits the legislative and executive powers and provides a balance
between the three powers.
Judicial review of administrative acts and
the constitutionality of the laws are considered sine qua non for the rule of
law. Further safeguards for the rule of law in the 1982 Constitution are the
nonretroactivity of criminal laws, the legal judicial process and the
prohibition of the denial of justice. Furthermore, the hierarchy of norms was
adopted, preventing the lowernorms from being violated by the uppernorms.
Constitutional Court decisions are binding for the legislative, executive and
judicial branches, the government, all real persons and corporate bodies.
In addition, the 1982 Constitution
recognizes all basic human rights such as freedom of speech, press,
communications, travel, right to privacy, right to property. The fundamental
social rights recognized by the Constitution are the right to organize unions,
the right to strike and to collective bargaining, the right to social security,
the right to education and the right to medical care.
BASIC ORGANS OF THE
STATE
LEGISLATURE
Legislative authority is vested in
the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA). The TGNA is composed of 550 deputies.
Parliamentary elections are held every five years. Deputies represent the
entire nation and before assuming office, take an oath, the text of which is
included in the Constitution.
The duties and authority of the TGNA are
outlined as follows: to adopt, amend and abrogate laws, to supervise the
Council of Ministers and ministers, to give authority to the Council of
Ministers to pass decrees with the power of law, to adopt the budget and final
account draft laws, to ratify the printing or minting of currency, to make
decisions for declaring war, martial law or emergency rule, to approve the
signing of international agreements and to make decisions for declaring general
or special amnesties.
EXECUTIVE
The executive branch in Turkey has a
dual structure. It is composed of the President of the Republic and the Council
of Ministers.
The President
The President of the Republic is the
Head of the State. He/she represents the Republic of Turkey and the unity of
the Turkish nation. The President is elected for a sevenyear term by a
twothirds majority of the full membership of the TGNA. Turkish citizens of at
least forty years in age can be elected President by the TGNA's secret ballot
process. They can be either deputies who have received a higher education or
those who are qualified to be elected as a deputy. A President cannot be
elected for a second term in office.
The President of the Republic has functions
and authority related to the legislative, executive and judicial fields.
His/her functions in the legislative fields are to convene the TGNA when
necessary, to publish laws and when deemed necessary, to send them back to the Parliament for discussion, to
hold a referendum in Constitutional amendments when he/she considers it
necessary, to file suit with the Constitutional Court claiming a violation of
Constitutional law, to issue decrees with the power of law and regulate the
internal workings of the Parliament and to decide when new TGNA elections are
necessary. The executive duties of the President are: to appoint or accept the
resignation of the Prime Minister, to appoint or dismiss Ministers in the event
that he deems it necessary, to chair meetings of the Council of Ministers or
summon the Council to meet under his chairmanship, to appoint accredited envoys
to represent the Turkish State abroad and receive representatives of foreign
states, to ratify and publish international agreements, to act as the
CommanderinChief of the Turkish Armed Forces, to appoint the Chief of General
Staff, to convene the National Security Council and to chair meetings of the
Council, to proclaim martial law or impose a state of emergency by a decree to
be decided by the Council of Ministers meeting under his chairmanship, and to issue
decrees with the power of law, to approve decrees as signatory, to commute or
pardon the sentences of certain convicts on the grounds of old age, chronic
illness or infirmity, to appoint the members and President of the State
Auditory Council, to conduct investigations, enquires and research through the
State Auditory Council, to select the members of the Higher Education Council,
and to appoint University Chancellors. Duties and authority of the President
related to the judiciary are to appoint: members of the Constitutional Court,
one fourth of the members of the Supreme Court of Appeals, members of the
Supreme Military Appeals Tribunal, members of the Supreme Council of Judges and
Public Prosecutors.
No appeal may be made to any legal body,
including the Constitutional Court, against decrees and presidential orders
signed directly by the President of the Republic.
The President of the Republic may be
impeached for high treason.
The Presidents of the Republic of Turkey:
·
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
(October 29, 1923 November 10, 1938)
·
İsmet İnönü
(November 11, 1938 May 22, 1950)
·
Celal Bayar
(May 22, 1950 May 27, 1960)
·
Cemal Gürsel
(May 27, 1960 March 28, 1966)
·
Cevdet Sunay
(March 29, 1966 March 28, 1973)
·
Fahri Korutürk
(April 06, 1973 April 06, 1980)
·
Kenan Evren
(September 18, 1980 November 08, 1989)
·
Turgut Özal
(November 09, 1989 April 17, 1993)
·
Süleyman Demirel
(May 16, 1993 May 16, 2000)
·
Ahmet Necdet Sezer
May 16, 2000
Prime
Minister and the Council of Ministers
The Council of Ministers consists of
the Prime Minister, designated by the President of the Republic from members of
the TGNA, and various ministers nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed
by the President of the Republic. Ministers can be dismissed from their duties
by the President or upon the proposal of the Prime Minister when deemed
necessary.
When the Council of Ministers is formed,
the government's program is read at the TGNA and a vote of confidence is taken.
Members of the Council of Ministers are responsible for the execution of
general policies. The Ministers assume two kinds of political responsibilities.
First is responsibility for the general policy of the government, shared
equally by all ministers. Second, each minister is individually responsible for
matters within the jurisdiction of his/her own ministry and for the acts of
his/her subordinates.
The fundamental duty of the Council of
Ministers is to formulate and to implement the internal and foreign policies of
the state. The Council is accountable to the Parliament in execution of this
duty.
The Constitution also includes national
defense in the section related to the Council of Ministers. The Office of the
CommanderinChief, the Office of the Chief of the General Staff and the National
Security Council form the authorative organizations for national defense.
The National Security Council consists of
the Prime Minister, the Chief of the General Staff, the Minister of National
Defense, the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the
Commanders of the Army, Navy and the Air Force and the General Commander of the
Gendarmerie. The NSC makes decisions related to the determination,
establishment and application of national security policy. The Council of
Ministers gives priority to National Security Council decisions where measures
deemed necessary for the preservation of the existence and independence of the
state, the integrity and indivisibility of the country and the peace and
security of the society are concerned.
Duties and Responsibilities of the Prime Minister
The Prime Minister is responsible
for ensuring the Council of Ministers functions in a harmonious manner. He/she
supervises implementation of government policy. The Prime Minister is the de
facto head of the executive branch. Each Minister is accountable to the Prime
Minister who in turn ensures that Ministers fulfill their functions in
accordance with the Constitution and its laws.
The administration entity, its
structure and functions, is regulated by law.
The organization and functions of the administration are based on the
principle of centralization and local administration.
Central Administration
Turkey is divided into provinces
based on geography, economic conditions and public service requirements.
Provinces are further divided into administrative districts.
Local Administrations
Local administrative bodies are
public entities established to meet the common needs of the local inhabitants
of provinces, municipalities, districts and villages. The decisionmaking organs
are chosen by the electorate prescribed in the law. The structure of the local
administrations is defined by law.
JUDICIARY
Judicial power in Turkey is
exercised by independent courts and supreme judiciary organs. The judicial
section of the Constitution, with the principle of a legal state as its basis,
is founded on the independence of the courts and the judges, and the guarantee
of judges' rights. Judges rule on the basis
of Constitutional provisions, law and jurisprudence.
Functionally, a tripartite judicial system
has been adopted by the Constitution and accordingly, it has been divided into
an administrative judiciary, a legal judiciary and a special judiciary.
The Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court
of Appeals, the Council of State, the Supreme Military Court of Appeals, the
Supreme Military Administrative Court and the Court of Jurisdictional Conflicts
are the supreme courts mentioned in the judicial section of the Constitution.
The Supreme Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors and the Supreme Council of
Public Accounts are also two organizations having special functions in the
judicial section of the Constitution.
Constitutional Court
The basic function of the
Constitutional Court, established in the 1961 Constitution, is to examine the
constitutionality, in both form and substance, of laws, and decrees with the
power of law and the Rules of Procedure of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Other functions of the Court are as follows:
* With the capacity of the High Tribunal,
the Constitutional Court judges the following: the President, members of the
Council of Ministers, members of supreme courts, the chairman and members of
the Supreme Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors and of the Supreme Council
of Public Accounts, the Chief Republic Prosecutors and the Deputy Republic
Chief Prosecutors for crimes related to their offices.
* It audits the finances of political
parties.
* It examines TGNA decisions to revoke the
immunities of deputies, or to dismiss members of parliament.
* It chooses the Chairman and Deputy
Chairman of the Court of Jurisdictional Conflicts.
The Constitutional Court is composed of 11
regular and four substitute members. Decisions are made when the eleven members
convene. The decisions of the Constitutional Court are final. These decisions
cannot be amended in any manner and their application cannot be delayed.
The Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals is the last
instance for reviewing rulings and judgments rendered by Judicial Courts,
provided that they are not referred by laws to another place of jurisdiction.
It is also the first and final authority
for specific cases that are defined in
the law. The Court of Appeals reviews the rulings rendered by the Justice
Courts, the Criminal Courts, the Examination Courts and renders verdicts upon
appeal. The opinions rendered by the Court of Appeals are taken as precedents
for legal rulings in the lower courts throughout the country, so that uniform
application may be achieved. It is also able to modify its own ruling upon
request.
The Council of State
The Council of State is the Superior
Court for administrative justice and,
as such, is the Court of last instance. It reviews all rulings rendered by Administrative Courts, unless the laws
specifically refer them to other judicial authorities. Similar to the Court of
Appeals, the Council of State is also the court of first and final instance for
specific cases as defined by law. It ensures the consistency of rulings among
the administrative courts.
The Council of State is the highest
consultative body of the state, and in this capacity, expresses its opinions on
draft legislation upon the request of the Prime Minister or the Council of
Ministers. It also examines draft regulations and concession contracts. It is
responsible for resolving administrative disputes.
Supreme Council of Public Accounts
The Supreme Council of Public
Accounts shall be charged with auditing, on behalf of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, all accounts
related to the revenues, expenditures and property of government departments
financed by general and subsidiary budgets. No applications for judicial review
of its decisions shall be filed in administrative courts.
The Supreme Military Court of Appeals is
the court of final instance for all rulings
and verdicts rendered by military courts. It is also a court of first
and final instance with jurisdiction over certain military personnel,
stipulated by law, with responsibility for any specific trials of these
persons.
Supreme Military Administrative Court
The Supreme Military Administrative
Court has jurisdiction over military personnel in administrative or active military service.
Court of Jurisdictional Conflicts
The Court of Jurisdictional
Conflicts is the final authority to settle disputes concerning the verdicts of
the Justice, Administrative or Military
Courts. This court is made up of members of the Court of Appeals, the
Council of State, the Supreme Military Court of Appeals, and the Military
Administrative Court of Appeals.
Military Courts
Military Courts have jurisdiction to
try military personnel for military offenses, for offenses committed by them
against other military personnel or crimes committed in military places, or for
offenses connected with military service and duties.
State Security Courts
State Security Courts were
established to deal with offenses against the indivisible integrity of the
State, against the free democratic order, or against the Republic whose characteristics
are defined in the Constitution, and with offenses directly involving the
internal and external security of the state. The courts consist of a president,
two regular members and one substitute, one chief public prosecutor and a
sufficient number of public prosecutors.
The Supreme Court of Appeals is the
competent authority to examine appeals against the judgments of the State
Security Court.
The Supreme Council of Judges and
Public Prosecutors, an independent
institution, has the dual function of acting as the Supreme Council of
Judges and as a reviewing body for objections. It elects the members of the
Supreme Court of Appeals, the Council
of State and the Court of Jurisdictional Disputes; decides whether any proposal
to abolish a Court or judicial post or change the jurisdictional direction of
any court is appropriate; deals with administrative matters concerning judges of the Administrative and Judicial
Courts and Public Prosecutors who are
not members of the Supreme Court of Appeals or the Council of State.
In
conformity with conditions set forth in the law, every Turkish citizen upon the
age of 18 has the right to vote, to be elected, and to engage in political
activities independently or in a political party, and to take part in
referendums.
Elections in Turkey are single stage.
According to a proportional representation system, general, equal and secret
ballot elections are held throughout the country on the same day under judicial administration and supervision. The related law outlines the
requirements for Turkish citizens living abroad to vote. The voter casts his
vote in full freedom. The counting, recording and detailed presentation of
votes are done publicly. Every province is an election area and every
alderman's office is an election precinct.
According to the election law in Turkey,
parties obtaining 10 percent of the votes throughout the country in general
elections enter parliament.
Citizens over 18 years of age have the
right to form political parties, and to join and withdraw from them in
accordance with established procedure.
Judges and prosecutors, members of higher
judicial organs, teaching staff at
institutions of higher education, members of the Higher Education Council,
civil servants in public organizations and corporations, and other public employees not regarded as workers on account
of the duties they perform, students, and members of the Armed Forces, shall
not become members of political parties.
Prior permission to form a political party
is not required. Parties are allowed to
function freely in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and
related laws which state that the internal
workings and decisions of political parties must conform to democratic
precepts.
A political party consists of its central
organs, provincial and country
organizations and the party group in Parliament. All political parties
must establish headquarters in Ankara.
In order to establish a political party, the signatures of at least 30 Turkish
citizens, eligible for election to Parliament, are required. The highest
authority within the political party is its general council. The central
organization consists of the general council, the leader of the party, the
central decisionmaking and executive boards, the disciplinary board and its
caucus.
Results of the July 22, 2007 general elections
In the July 22 general elections, Turkish voters let three political parties – the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) – win seats in Parliament for the next five-year term. The AKP won another single-party turn in government with 46.6% of the vote. The CHP kept its place as the main opposition party in Parliament with 20.9% of the vote, while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) got 14.3%, and independent candidates got 5.3%. When Parliament convened, one seat was vacant as Professor Mehmet Cihat Özönder, who was elected a deputy from MHP, died in a traffic accident in Ankara on July 26. Thus, 549 deputies are in the new parliament. Voter turnout was 84.16%.
The final results of the general elections of July 22 were published in the Official Gazette. According to the Supreme Board of Elections (YSK), some 35.8 million of 42.6 million eligible voters cast ballots throughout Turkey. The number of valid votes was 34.8 million.
TURKEY (GENERAL), INCLUDING CUSTOMS GATES
This table shows the number of votes per political party and the percentage of
the total voter cast.
Political party votes percentage
---------------- ------- -----------
Independent Turkey Party 182,095 0.52
Felicity Party 820,289 2.34
Workers' Party 128,148 0.37
Republican People's Party 7,317,808 20.88
People's Ascent Party 179,010 0.51
Freedom and Solidarity Party 52,055 0.15
Young Party 1,064,871 3.04
Democrat Party 1,898,873 5.42
Liberal Democratic Party 35,363 0.10
Nationalist Movement Party 5,001,869 14.27
Justice and Development Party 16,327,291 46.58
Labor Party 26,292 0.08
Communist Party of Turkey 79,258 0.23
Independents 1,835,486 5.24
The new Parliament (23rd term) convened for its first session on August 4. The new deputies were sworn in at this session and formally took office. Köksal Toptan, a deputy from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, was elected the new Parliament speaker on August 9. A total of 535 deputies took part in the first round of voting. Toptan was elected Parliament Speaker with 450 votes, while his sole rival Tunca Toskay, a deputy from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), won 74. Eleven votes were invalid. Toptan will serve for two legislative years as the new Parliament Speaker.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
On August 13, the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party nominated Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gül as its candidate to become president. Gül was nominated during the AK Party's Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting. Gül met opposition leaders on August 14, and the first round of the election was held six days later. In the first round of balloting in Parliament, Gül fell short of the 341 votes needed to be elected. Gül competed against the Nationalist Movement Party’s (MHP) Sebahattin Çakmakoğlu and the Democratic Left Party’s (DSP) Tayfun İçli. Çakmakoğlu secured 70 votes, while İçli won just 13. The ballot was secret, but Gül appears to have secured the support of all 340 AK Party deputies and also that of Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, representative of the one-seat Grand Union Party (BBP). With all parties other than the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) present, 448 deputies were in Parliament. The MHP and DSP deputies were there to support their candidates, while the Democratic Society Party (DTP) took part in the vote but apparently declined to support Gül. Since the president also could not be elected in the second round of balloting on August 24, a third round was held on August 28, making Abdullah Gül Turkey’s 11th president. In related news, Turkey’s 10th President Ahmet Necdet Sezer designated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to form the new government on August 6. President Sezer left the task to approve Turkey's new Cabinet to his successor, said Erdoğan on August 16. Erdoğan submitted the new Cabinet list to President Abdullah Gül on August 29. President Abdullah Gül approved the list of the 60th government members. The list of members of the 60th government is as follows: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Hayati Yazıcı, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Nazım Ekren, State Minister Mehmet Aydın, State Minister Murat Başesgioğlu, State Minister Kürşad Tüzmen, State Minister Nimet Çubukçu, State Minister Mehmet Şimşek, State Minister Mustafa Said Yazıcıoğlu, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin, National Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül, Interior Minister Beşir Atalay, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, Finance Minister Kemal Unakıtan, National Education Minister Hüseyin Çelik, Public Works and Housing Minister Faruk Nafiz Özak, Health Minister Recep Akdağ, Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Mehmet Mehdi Eker, Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Çelik, Industry and Trade Minister Mehmet Zafer Çağlayan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Güler, Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay, Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroğlu.
The program of the 60th government to be led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was read out in Parliament on August 31. Debate of the program began on September 3. A vote of confidence on the government took place on September 5. The 60th government won its vote of confidence in Parliament. Of 535 deputies taking part in the vote, 337 deputies voted in favor of the confidence motion and 197 voted against.
Following the July 22 general elections, an alliance between the CHP and DSP was dissolved, as planned, and 13 deputies returned to the latter party. In addition, a number of independent deputies joined the DTP, ÖDP and BBP following the elections; the DTP had enough deputies to form a group in Parliament. The number of deputies of the Justice and Development (AK) Party dropped to 340 after Abdullah Gül was elected the new president of Turkey.
Local Elections
Elections for local administrations are
held every five years. Byelections are held in the following cases: if
elections in an electoral region are cancelled due to procedural irregularity;
if a provincial assembly or a city council is dissolved by the competent
authority; if the majority of seats in a provincial assembly or a city council
is vacated for any reason; and if, for whatever reason, the mayoralties are
vacated. All Turkish citizens 25 and older can be elected mayor or become a
member of provincial assemblies and city councils providing the following
conditions are fulfilled: all candidates must have completed primary school
education, have full legal rights, have completed military service, have no
prison record of one year or more, must
not have been convicted of embezzlement, corruption, bribery, theft, fraud,
forgery, breach of trust or fraudulent bankruptcy, or of smuggling, conspiracy
in official biddings or purchases, offenses related to the disclosure of state
secrets, involvement in ideological and anarchistic activities, or incitement
and encouragement of such activities. Furthermore, a candidate must have
resided in the electoral area for at least six months.
In local elections, a proportional
representation system, based on a ten percent barrier, is implemented for
membership to provincial assemblies and town councils. For mayoral posts the
simple majority system is used. In electing members of the provincial
assemblies, each administrative district is an electoral region. In elections
for mayoral posts and city council members, each city is an electoral region.
Voters elect a metropolitan mayor in cities comprising an electoral region of
more than one administrative district. Votes are cast in metropolitan areas
also for mayoral and city council posts in each administrative district.
The local elections were held on April
18, 1999 together with the general elections.
A total of 43.5 million voters went to 174,355 polling booths on March 28 to cast their votes in the local elections to elect 93,353 local administrators.
According to a report prepared by the Anatolia News Agency, Istanbul has 7,361,261 registered voters, Ankara 2,735,292 and Izmir 2,460,060 voters. The city with the lowest number of voters is Bayburt with 59,784 registered voters.
According to a decision of the Supreme Board of Elections (YSK), there were twenty political parties which took part in the elections.
The local administrators that are elected will be in office for five years. The voters elected mayors for 16 metropolitan municipalities, 58 city municipalities, 65 cities, 792 municipalities and 2,253 districts. Some 52,929 muhtars (local administrators), 3,122 city general assembly members and 34,075 municipality assembly members were elected on March 28. There are 12 new municipalities in these elections.
The political parties which took part in the local elections were as follows:
Workers' Party (EMEP)
Democratic Left Party (DSP)
Motherland Party (ANAP)
Independent Turkey Party (BTP)
Justice and Development Party (AKP)
Grand Union
Party (BBP)
Labor Party (IP)
Freedom and Solidarity Party (ODP)
Liberal Democrat Party (LDP)
Turkish Communist Party (TKP)
True Path Party (DYP)
Enlightened
Turkey Party (ATP)
Nation Party (MP)
Republican People's Party (CHP)
Young Party (GP)
New Turkey Party (YTP)
Social Democrat People's Party (SHP)
Felicity Party (SP)
Democrat Party (DP)
Nationalist Action Party (MHP)
According to the election results, out of 81 cities, the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) won 57 mayoral races, including those in
Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul and the capital Ankara. The main opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP) won nine mayoral races, while the Nationalist
Movement
Party (MHP) got four, and the True Path Party (DYP) one. The Social
Democratic People’s Party (SHP) won five mayoral races and the Democratic Left
Party (DSP) won three. The national breakdown of votes is as follows: AKP,
41.8%; CHP, 18.1%; MHP, 10.4%; DYP, 10.1%; SHP, 4.9%; Felicity Party (SP),
4.01%; and Motherland Party (ANAP), 2.46.
PROVINCES
PARTIES NAME OF ELECTED
MAYOR
-------------------
-------------- ---------------------------------------
ADANA AKP Aytaç Durak
ADIYAMAN AKP Necip Büyükaslan
AFYON AKP Abdullah Kaptan
AĞRI AKP Ekrem Aktaş
AMASYA AKP Ismet Özarslan
ANKARA AKP Melih Gökçek
ANTALYA AKP M.Tevfik Türel
ARTVİN CHP Emin Özgün
AYDIN AKP İlhami Örtekin
BALIKESİR AKP Sabri Uğur
BİLECİK AKP Selim Yağcı
BİNGÖL AKP Hacı Ketenalp
BİTLİS AKP Cevdet Özdemir
BOLU AKP Alaaddin Yılmaz
BURDUR AKP Sabahattin Akkaya
BURSA AKP Hikmet Şahin
ÇANAKKALE CHP Ulgur Gökhan
ÇANKIRI AKP İrfan Dinç
ÇORUM AKP Turan Atlamaz
DENİZLİ AKP Nihat Zeybekci
DİYARBAKIR SHP Osman Baydemir
EDİRNE CHP Hamdi Sedefci
ELAZIĞ DYP M.Süleyman Selmanoğlu
ERZİNCAN AKP Mehmet Buyruk
ERZURUM AKP Ahmet Küçükler
ESKİŞEHİR DSP Yılmaz Büyükersen
GAZİANTEP AKP Asım Güzelbey
GİRESUN AKP Hurşit Yüksel
GÜMÜŞHANE MHP Mustafa Canlı
HAKKARİ SHP Metin Tekce
HATAY AKP Mehmet Yeloğlu
ISPARTA AKP Hasan Balaman
MERSİN CHP Macit Özcan
İSTANBUL AKP Kadir Topbaş
İZMİR
CHP
Aziz Kocaoğlu
KARS AKP Naif Alibeyoğlu
KASTAMONU MHP Turhan Topcuoğlu
KAYSERİ AKP Mehmet Özhaseki
KIRKLARELİ CHP C.Yılmaz Sesen
KIRŞEHİR AKP Halim Çakır
KOCAELİ AKP İbrahim Karaosmanoğlu
KONYA AKP Tahir Akyürek
KÜTAHYA AKP Mustafa Ica
MALATYA AKP Cemal Akın
MANİSA AKP Bülent Kar
KAHRAMANMARAŞ AKP Mustafa Poyraz
MARDİN SP Metin Pamukcu
MUĞLA CHP Osman Gürün
MUŞ AKP Necmettin Dede
NEVŞEHİR AKP Hasan Ünver
NİĞDE MHP Mümin Inan
ORDU DSP Seyit Torun
RİZE AKP Halil Bakırcı
SAKARYA AKP Aziz Duran
SAMSUN AKP Yusuf Ziya Yılmaz
SİİRT AKP Mervan Gül
SİNOP AKP Zeki Yılmazer
SİVAS AKP Sami Aydın
TEKİRDAĞ AKP Ahmet Aygün
TOKAT AKP Adnan Çiçek
TRABZON CHP Volkan Çanalıoğlu
TUNCELİ SHP Songül Erol Abdil
ŞANLIURFA AKP Ahmet Fakibaba
UŞAK AKP Mesut Apaydın
VAN AKP Burhan Yenigün
YOZGAT AKP Yusuf Başer
ZONGULDAK AKP Secaattin Gonca
AKSARAY AKP Nevzat Palta
BAYBURT AKP Bekir Çetin
KARAMAN AKP Ali Kantürk
KIRIKKALE AKP Veli Korkmaz
BATMAN SHP Hüseyin Kalkan
ŞIRNAK SHP Ahmet Ertak
BARTIN DSP M.Rıza Yalçınkaya
ARDAHAN Independent Mikail Kayatürk
IĞDIR MHP Nurettin Aras
YALOVA AKP Barbaros Binicioğlu
KARABÜK AKP Hüseyin Erer
KİLİS AKP M.Abdi Bulut
OSMANİYE AKP Davut Çuhadar
DÜZCE AKP Mehmet Keleş
POLITICAL PARTIES
(as of
August 3, 2004)
(DSP
Demokratik Sol Parti)
Founded on : November 14, 1985
Chairman : Zeki Sezer
Address
:
Mareşal Fevzi Çakmak Cad. No: 17 ANKARA
Phone
: (0312) 212 49 50 ( 5 lines)
Nationalist
Movement Party
(MHP
Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi)
Founded on : February 9, 19
Chairman
:
Devlet Bahçeli
Address
:Karanfil Sok. No: 69
Bakanlıklar/ANKARA
Phone :
(0312) 417 50 60 (5 lines)
Mothe
(ANAP Anavatan Partisi)
Founded on :
May 20, 1983
Chairman : Erkan Mumcu
Address
: 13. Cad. No: 3 Balgat/ANKARA
Phone : (0312) 286
50 00 (2
Democrat Party
(DP
Demokrat Parti)
Founded on : July 23, 1983
Chairman : Süleyman Soylu
Address
: Selanik Cad.
No: 40
Kızılay/ANKARA
Phone :
(0312) 419 04 70 (2 lines)-417 22 40
Felicity Party
(SP Saadet Partisi)
Founded on : July 27, 2001
Acting Chairman : Recai Kutan
Phone : (0312) 284 88 00
Justice
and Development Party
( AKP Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi)
Chairman : Recep Tayyip Erdoğan