The Prelude to an Election: Turkish Political Parties Name Candidates
On June 12, 2011, Turkey will hold parliamentary elections, the outcome of which will determine whether the ruling AKP can gain enough seats to change the Turkish constitution by itself or whether such an effort will require the effective participation of other parties. In this analysis piece, Prof. İlter Turan sheds light on the particularities of the upcoming elections in Turkey in terms of the electoral system, candidate designation, and the criteria used by political parties while determining their candidates. Prof. Turan also discusses how all parties, because of the pressure to increase the number of women and young persons and the need to expand the basis on which they try to build a winning coalition, have introduced major changes in their candidate lists.