Turkish general election, 2002
Encyclopedia
Turkey's 15th general election was held on November 3, 2002 following the collapse of the DSP-MHP-ANAP coalition led by Bülent Ecevit
. It was won by the Justice and Development Party
(AK Party), led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
, producing a crushing majority in spite of their winning just 34.3% of the national vote. All parties previously elected to parliament failed to win enough votes to re-enter the Grand National Assembly. The only other party to cross the 10 percent election barrier was the Republican People's Party
, (CHP) which made a triumphant return after being voted out three years previously. The election produced Turkey's first single party government since 1987 and the country's first two-party parliament in 48 years.
A press black-out was placed on all results by the electoral authority so that it could ensure all ballot boxes were secure, but even when it became clear that every box in the country had been sealed, the authority refused to sway from its original deadline of 9pm. With early results being already announced by foreign media outlets, Turkish television switched to a live shot of the Electoral Authority headquarters until an announcement was made at 7.30pm revoking the black-out.
against the corruption-riddled traditional forces of Turkish politics. It reflected the soaring popularity of the AK Party, established barely a year before, and prompted a number of established party leaders to resign.
, became prime minister and remained in the position until a constitutional amendment could be pushed through to allow Erdoğan to stand for a freshly vacant seat in a March 2003 by-election.
Outgoing prime minister Bülent Ecevit was widely expected to resign as leader of his Democratic Left party
, but did not end up leaving until a party conference in 2004.
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 :...
. It was won by the Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
(AK Party), led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
, producing a crushing majority in spite of their winning just 34.3% of the national vote. All parties previously elected to parliament failed to win enough votes to re-enter the Grand National Assembly. The only other party to cross the 10 percent election barrier was the 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...
, (CHP) which made a triumphant return after being voted out three years previously. The election produced Turkey's first single party government since 1987 and the country's first two-party parliament in 48 years.
Results
Voting ended in the country's 32 eastern provinces at 3pm, having begun an hour earlier in morning, and in the remaining 49 provinces at 4pm. Counting began immediately afterwards.A press black-out was placed on all results by the electoral authority so that it could ensure all ballot boxes were secure, but even when it became clear that every box in the country had been sealed, the authority refused to sway from its original deadline of 9pm. With early results being already announced by foreign media outlets, Turkish television switched to a live shot of the Electoral Authority headquarters until an announcement was made at 7.30pm revoking the black-out.
Interpretation
The election was widely interpreted as a protest voteProtest vote
A protest vote is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate the caster's unhappiness with the choice of candidates or refusal of the current political system...
against the corruption-riddled traditional forces of Turkish politics. It reflected the soaring popularity of the AK Party, established barely a year before, and prompted a number of established party leaders to resign.
New government
Although the AK Party's victory was indisputable, Erdoğan's appointment as prime minister was delayed owing to his previous criminal conviction, which prevented him from standing for parliament. Another prominent party member, Abdullah GülAbdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
, became prime minister and remained in the position until a constitutional amendment could be pushed through to allow Erdoğan to stand for a freshly vacant seat in a March 2003 by-election.
Party resignations
The result prompted the near-immediate resignations of several prominent figures in Turkish politics:- Mesut YılmazMesut YilmazAhmet Mesut Yılmaz is the former leader of the Motherland Party and was the Turkish prime minister in the 1990s.Mesut Yılmaz was a rising star in the Motherland Party of Turgut Özal, representing the Black Sea province of Rize in the parliament and serving as tourism minister in Ozal's cabinet...
, former prime minister and leader of the Motherland PartyMotherland PartyMotherland Party is the name of several parties:-See also:*Fatherland Party *List of generic names of political parties....
(ANAP). Yılmaz has since returned to active politics in the Motherland Party, but is rumoured to be planning a new party of his own. - Tansu ÇillerTansu ÇillerTansu Penbe Çiller is a Turkish economist and politician. She was Turkey's first and only female Prime Minister.- Early career :She is the daughter of a Turkish governor of Bilecik province during the 1950s. She graduated from the School of Economics at Robert College after finishing the American...
, former prime minister and leader of the True Path PartyTrue Path PartyThe Democratic Party , abbreviated to DP, is a centre-right, conservative Turkish political party, established by Suleyman Demirel in 1983 as the Right Path Party...
(DYP). Çiller was succeeded by her former interior minister, Mehmet AğarMehmet AgarMehmet Kemal Ağar is a Turkish former police chief, politician, government minister and leader of the Democratic Party.-Early years:...
. - Devlet BahçeliDevlet BahçeliDevlet Bahçeli is a Turkish politician and has been the second chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party since 6 July 1997....
, leader of the Nationalist Movement PartyNationalist Movement PartyThe 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...
(MHP) and senior coalition partner in the outgoing government. His resignation was not accepted by his party's central committee, and he remained leader.
Outgoing prime minister Bülent Ecevit was widely expected to resign as leader of his Democratic Left party
Democratic Left Party (Turkey)
The Democratic Left Party is a Turkish political party founded on November 14, 1985, by Rahşan Ecevit.-1985-1999:The DSP, a social democratic oriented party, was registered on November 14, 1985 by Rahşan Ecevit, wife of Bülent Ecevit, as he was banned from political life after the 1980 coup...
, but did not end up leaving until a party conference in 2004.
See also
- Yumak and Sadak v. TurkeyYumak and Sadak v. TurkeyYumak and Sadak v. Turkey was a case before the European Court of Human Rightson the requirement for parties standing in Turking parliamentary elections to meet the threshold of 10% of the votes cast at Turkish parliamentary elections in order to gain seats, decided in 2008.-Facts:The applicants...