Turkish general election, 1977
Encyclopedia
General elections were held in Turkey
on 5 June 1977. Elections took place in the middle of a political race between the right wing party AP
and the left wing party CHP
. With the charismatic leadership of Bülent Ecevit
, CHP managed to beat one of the symbol figures of the conservative politics of Turkey, Süleyman Demirel
. Voter turnout was 72.4%.
CHP's victory was the zenith of the left wing votes in the history of the Republic of Turkey
but still there were no capable partners for CHP to join forces to form the government since the rest of the parliament was consisted of right wing parties which were not eager to form a coalition with Bülent Ecevit. Finally, CHP couldn't gain a vote of confidence. They would have to wait until 1978 to gain support from some independents and small parties to become the head of the government. CHP couldn't keep this power for long and the power transferred to AP
while the voices of the military coup was getting closer.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
on 5 June 1977. Elections took place in the middle of a political race between the right wing party AP
Justice Party (Turkey)
The Justice Party was a Turkish political party prominent in the 1960s and 1970s. A descendant of the Democrat Party, the AP was dominated by Süleyman Demirel, who served six times as prime minister, and was in office at the time of the military coup on September 12, 1980...
and the left wing party CHP
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
. With the charismatic leadership of Bülent Ecevit
Bülent Ecevit
Mustafa Bülent Ecevit was a Turkish politician, poet, writer and journalist, who was the leader of Republican People's Party , later of the Democratic Left Party and four-time Prime Minister of Turkey.- Personal life :...
, CHP managed to beat one of the symbol figures of the conservative politics of Turkey, Süleyman Demirel
Süleyman Demirel
Sami Süleyman Gündoğdu Demirel, better known as Süleyman Demirel , is a Turkish politician who served as Prime Minister seven times and was the ninth President of Turkey.-Life:Demirel was born in İslamköy, a town in Isparta Province...
. Voter turnout was 72.4%.
CHP's victory was the zenith of the left wing votes in the history of the Republic of Turkey
History of the Republic of Turkey
The Republic of Turkey was created after the overthrow of Sultan Mehmet VI Vahdettin by the new Republican Parliament in 1922. This new regime delivered the coup de grâce to the Ottoman state which had been practically wiped away from the world stage following the First World War.-Single-party...
but still there were no capable partners for CHP to join forces to form the government since the rest of the parliament was consisted of right wing parties which were not eager to form a coalition with Bülent Ecevit. Finally, CHP couldn't gain a vote of confidence. They would have to wait until 1978 to gain support from some independents and small parties to become the head of the government. CHP couldn't keep this power for long and the power transferred to AP
Justice Party (Turkey)
The Justice Party was a Turkish political party prominent in the 1960s and 1970s. A descendant of the Democrat Party, the AP was dominated by Süleyman Demirel, who served six times as prime minister, and was in office at the time of the military coup on September 12, 1980...
while the voices of the military coup was getting closer.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican People's Party Republican People's Party (Turkey) The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to... |
6,136,171 | 41.38 | 213 | |
| Justice Party Justice Party (Turkey) The Justice Party was a Turkish political party prominent in the 1960s and 1970s. A descendant of the Democrat Party, the AP was dominated by Süleyman Demirel, who served six times as prime minister, and was in office at the time of the military coup on September 12, 1980... |
5,468,202 | 36.88 | 189 | |
| National Salvation Party National Salvation Party The National Salvation Party was an Islamist political party in Turkey founded on 11 October 1972 as the successor of the banned National Order Party . The party was led by Necmettin Erbakan... |
1,269,918 | 8.57 | 24 | |
| Nationalist Movement Party Nationalist Movement Party The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote... |
951,544 | 6.42 | 16 | |
| Independents | 370,035 | 0.2 | 4 | |
| Republican Reliance Party Republican Reliance Party - Background :Republican People's Party which is usually credited as the founder of Turkish republic in 1923 was the oldest party in Turkey. The ideology of the party was Kemalism with strong emphasis on Laïcité. Bülent Ecevit, the secretary general of CHP after 1966 however, began introducing... |
277,713 | 1.87 | 3 | |
| Democratic Party Democratic Party (Turkey, 1970) - Background :Democrat Party which was the ruling party between 1950-1960 was closed by the military rule. In 1961 and 1965 elections most of ex Democrat Party adherents supported Justice Party, a party founded in 1961. After 1965 elections Justice Party came to power... |
274,484 | 1.85 | 1 | |
| Turkish Union Party | 58,540 | 0.39 | 0 | |
| Workers Party of Turkey Workers Party of Turkey Workers Party of Turkey was a Turkish political party, founded in 1961. It became the first socialist party in Turkey to win representation in the national parliament. It was banned twice and eventually merged with the Communist Party of Turkey in 1988.TİP was founded by a group of labor union... |
20,565 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 531,038 | |||
| Total | 15,358,210 | 100 | 450 | 0 |
| Source: Nohlen et al | ||||