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112-640: Following the decision to end armed struggle in 2002, activists of the Hizbullah 's Menzil group founded an association called "Solidarity with the Oppressed" ( Turkish : Mustazaflar ile Dayanışma Derneği or short Mustazaf-Der) in 2003. It also became known as the Movement of the Oppressed ( Turkish : Mustazaflar Hareketi ). On 18 April 2010, Mustazaf Der organized a mass meeting in Diyarbakır to celebrate

224-622: A Deputy Prime Minister in the interim election government , also became an AKP candidate from Ankara . Abdurrahim Boynukalın , who had been heavily criticised for his role in the assault on the Hürriyet newspaper headquarters in September 2015, was stripped from the AKP lists, though he later claimed that he himself had not applied to become a candidate. Turkish folk music singer İbrahim Tatlıses , who had applied to become an AKP candidate for

336-687: A Kurdish group that had its roots in the southeast of Turkey, and Kurdish Islamists who migrated to the prosperous cities in Western Turkey. The group utilized poor economical situations of the Kurdish population and had built its social bases in their areas. Many joined the Turkish National Student Union (Milli Türk Talebe Birliği, MTTB), the youth organization of the National Salvation Party . With

448-617: A bloody factional war between two wings of the Union Movement ( Vahdet Hareketi ) which had been established following the 1980 Turkish coup d'état 's crushing of Islamist hopes for democratic success. Hüseyin Velioğlu 's group had previously been known as İlim , named for his bookshop. In March of the same year, soon after Abdullah Öcalan was expelled from Syria, there were reports of an Iranian-brokered peace accord between KH and PKK. According to Turkish security officials, Hezbollah

560-591: A camp in the Batman region where they received political and military training and assistance from the security forces. Former Minister Fikri Sağlar said in an interview with the paper Siyah-Beyaz (Black-White) that the army not only used Hezbollah, but actually founded and sponsored the organization. He maintained that such a decision had been taken in 1985 at the highest levels – the National Security Council . On 17 January 2011 Arif Doğan ,

672-563: A coalition, to which the CHP responded that it was up to the independent judiciary to pursue such proceedings if necessary. The party significantly toned down their election campaign by suspending their planned electoral rallies following the Ankara bombing on 10 October. The CHP attracted criticism from Turkish nationalists and the AKP for its support for the HDP following the escalation of conflict in

784-461: A government on 9 July 2015, by virtue of leading the largest party in Parliament. If a government was not formed within 45 days (until 23 August 2015), then Erdoğan reserved the right to either extend the 45-day period or call an early election. After being asked to form a government by virtue of leading the largest party in Parliament, AKP leader Ahmet Davutoğlu held talks with the leaders of

896-564: A long time the village Yolaç was used as their base. In the early 1990s the organization became a direct threat to the already rising Kurdish separatist movement. The Hezbollah viewed the "PKK's claim to be the only true spokesman of Kurdish nationalism" as a "threat to its own identity", and dubbed the PKK as the " Partiya Kafirin Kurdistan " meaning Kurdistans Infidels' Party. As an Islamist organization, KH began as an oppositional force against

1008-508: A majority. The CHP also suffered a slight decrease in their vote and seat share, winning 132 seats. The MHP and the HDP both won 80 seats, with the HDP managing to surpass the 10% election threshold despite concerns that it could fall below the boundary. The election resulted in the first hung parliament since the 1999 general election . The election result immediately raised speculation over an early general election. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan invited AKP leader Ahmet Davutoğlu to form

1120-571: A parliamentary majority. The SP and BBP had run together in a 'national alliance' in the June 2015 election, winning 2.06% of the vote and falling far short of the 10% election threshold . Both the SP leader Mustafa Kamalak and the BBP leader Mustafa Destici stated that they would not close their doors on a possible alliance with the AKP, though commentators also claimed that such an alliance would not result in

1232-510: A possible coalition after a breakout of violence in the predominantly Kurdish south-eastern region of Turkey. The meeting between the AKP and the MHP ended without agreement, after which Davutoğlu returned the mandate to form a government back to the President on 18 August. In what was branded a 'civilian coup' by the CHP, Erdoğan refused to invite Kılıçdaroğlu to form a government as is required by

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1344-429: A possible leadership bid. The disagreements were allegedly solved at the last minute, after which Yıldırım withdrew as a potential candidate. The party's by-laws were also changed to stop the 25th Parliamentary term counting towards AKP parliamentarians' three-term limit on the grounds that the parliamentary session only lasted for four months. The three-term limit was thus lifted for MPs in this election. Critics accuse

1456-457: A recent amendment to the Turkish criminal code that set a limit of 10 years on the time detainees can be held without being sentenced in a final verdict. The juridic authorities demanded a re-arrest of the released, but the police failed in locating them. Following the decision to end armed struggle in 2002, sympathizers of Hizbollah's Menzil group founded an association called "Solidarity with

1568-774: A retired colonel in the Turkish army who also claims to be a founder of JİTEM , while testifying in court in the Ergenekon case, declared that he set up Hezbollah as a contra group to force to fight and kill militants of the PKK. The organization was originally to be called Hizbul-Kontr ("Party of the Contras"). According to journalist Faik Bulut , some Hizbollah members were caught in Istanbul with 40 kg of C-4 explosive and valid Turkish National Intelligence Organization identity cards. In December 2003 Corry Görgü put

1680-514: A role in a three-month government followed by early elections. The CHP had previously made it a condition that any coalition deal should last for four years, the entire duration of the parliamentary term. Stating that early elections were the most likely possibility, Davutoğlu requested a meeting with MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli in a last-ditch attempt to form an AKP-MHP coalition. Bahçeli had previously announced his support for an early election, but later put forward four non-negotiable conditions for

1792-463: A significant increase in the AKP's vote share since most SP and BBP supporters were heavily critical of the AKP in the first place. Formal negotiations between the AKP and SP began on 3 September. The AKP have also allegedly considered sending parliamentary candidacy invitations to former Islamist Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan's son Fatih Erbakan and former Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz to broaden

1904-454: A surprise meeting with Patriotic Party (VP) leader Doğu Perinçek over a possible alliance, with the two leaders agreeing to continue negotiations. It was also rumoured that the CHP could form an alliance with the Rights and Equality Party (HEPAR), with the party's founder Osman Pamukoğlu claiming that he would boost the CHP's vote by 3–4%. It was also reported that a possible alliance with

2016-442: A third time, failed to make it onto the party lists. The AKP announced their manifesto on 5 October, with many media outlets being refused an invitation. With the slogan Haydi Bismillah , the AKP announced a new minimum wage of ₺1,300 having initially refused to announce a rise for the June election, the party also pledged more public sector jobs, free internet for young people, to grant legal status to Alevi Cemevis and to rewrite

2128-432: A total of 550 seats, which each electoral district allocated 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 share the same name and borders of the 81 Provinces of Turkey , with

2240-507: Is derogatorily known by its critics as Hizbulkontra (Party of Contra ), Hizbulvahşet (Party of Barbarianism), and Hizbulşeytan (Party of the Devil). They are also derogatorily known as Sofik , which is a diminutive of "Sofu", which means "devout" or "practicing". The group, founded by Hüseyin Velioğlu , remains a primarily Kurdish group that has its roots in the predominantly Kurdish southeast of Turkey and among Kurds who migrated to

2352-574: Is largely seen as a pro-Kurdish party and maintains an ideology of minority rights and anti-capitalism . All four parties surpassed the 10% election threshold in the June 2015 general election and won representation in Parliament, with no party winning a majority to govern alone. Smaller parties include the Islamist Felicity Party (SP), the left-wing nationalist Patriotic Party (VP), the centrist Independent Turkey Party (BTP) and

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2464-600: Is mere PKK propaganda, while Turkey also hated Hezbollah throughout their entire existence but only tolerated them at first, due to them fighting the PKK. A former JITEM agent confirmed that Turkey had offered Kurdish Hezbollah assistance against the PKK, although Hüseyin Velioğlu kept refusing it, stating that the Kurdish Hezbollah really hates Turkey and aims for peace with the PKK. The weekly 2000'e Doğru of 16 February 1992 reported that eyewitnesses and sympathizers of Hezbollah had informed them that members of

2576-463: The Constitution , despite the fact that there was still five days left before the 45-day period ended. Instead, Erdoğan announced his intention to call an early election on 21 August, finalising his decision on 24 August. The prospect for an early election arose as early as the eve of the previous election on 7 June 2015, as soon as it emerged that the AKP had lost its majority. The speculation

2688-698: The Grand National Assembly . They were the 25th general elections in the History of the Republic of Turkey and elected the country's 26th Parliament . The election resulted in the Justice and Development Party (AKP) regaining a parliamentary majority following a 'shock' victory, having lost it five months earlier in the June 2015 general elections . The snap elections were called by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 24 August 2015 after

2800-591: The Great Union Party (BBP), which had entered the June 2015 election in a 'National Alliance' under the Felicity Party banner. The full list of parties contesting the election, ordered according to their position on the ballot paper, is as follows. The Justice and Development Party has signalled a possible electoral alliance with the Islamist Felicity Party (SP) and the Great Union Party (BBP) in an attempt to maximise their votes and guarantee

2912-524: The HDP , a left-wing party supporting Kurdish minority rights, for supporting it. Despite forming from a splinter group that made promises to end armed struggle, third-party sources describe the party as strongly affiliated with the Kurdish Hezbollah . The party denies these allegations as they have condemned violence multiple times and rejected any links with militant groups. Some have pointed out that

3024-536: The Independent Turkey Party (BTP) could take place, with BTP leader Haydar Baş becoming an MP from the CHP party lists. The CHP stated on 16 September that the party would not contest the election in an alliance, with the VP subsequently announcing that they would be contesting the election alone. The Great Union Party (BBP), having been open to talks with the AKP, also sought an alliance deal with

3136-566: The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in order to by-pass the 10% election threshold . It was reported that the MHP could offer the BBP two or three prime spots on their candidate lists with certain chances of election. The left-wing Labour Party (EMEP) announced that they would not be taking part in the election, repeating its June 2015 tactic of forming an election alliance with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). It

3248-478: The November 2015 elections. The party entered the 2023 Turkish general election as part of the Justice and Development Party list. Four Free Cause Party members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey were elected. In 2024 Turkish local elections , the party supported candidates of Justice and Development Party in major cities such as İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir. The party showed its strongest performance in

3360-503: The Republican People's Party , announced that it would not contest the election. The party's leader Emine Ülker Tarhan claimed that they would not take part in an election called on the basis of Erdoğan's desire for a presidential system or the deaths of Turkish soldiers fighting the PKK. The party announced that it would not play Erdoğan's 'game' or participate in an election system that they criticised. Tarhan also referred to

3472-473: The Rights and Justice Party (HAP). The TURK-P submitted their candidate lists before the deadline but was barred from running due to a complaint made by the AKP, which claimed that the TURK-P's logo was too similar to their own and thus confused voters. The Centre Party submitted their candidate lists but later decided to boycott the election. Parties contesting the election that did not do so in June included

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3584-496: The turnout in Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) strongholds. The election was preceded by the deadliest terrorist attack in Turkey's modern history , after two suicide bombers killed 102 people attending a peace rally in central Ankara . Numerous political parties, notably the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), ended up either entirely cancelling or significantly toning down their election campaigns following

3696-467: The 40% mark, with Gezici claiming that the AKP would win between 35 and 39% of the vote. Most pollsters, including those known to be close to the government, showed a 2–3% increase in the CHP's vote. The MHP's vote share was either shown to be stable or to have retracted by around 2–3%, which was attributed to the party's much criticised stance during the June–July 2015 Turkish Parliament speaker elections and

3808-505: The 9th article of the Parliamentary Elections Law could bring the date forward. The YSK later issued a decision confirming that there were legal grounds for shortening the 90-day election timeline, after which they proposed to shorten the three-month period to two months and hold fresh elections on 1 November. This date was later confirmed after Erdoğan called for early elections on 24 August. Erdoğan's decision for

3920-517: The AKP and declared the TURK Party's logo to be too similar to that of the AKP. The decision was criticised by the opposition and was seen as an attempt by the AKP to increase their vote share through undemocratic means by eliminating parties that posed a direct threat to the AKP's votes. This claim was made again after the YSK ruled that the TURK Party was in fact not eligible to contest the election in

4032-474: The AKP of purposely ending the solution process and sparking an outbreak in violence between the Turkish Armed Forces and the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in order to win back disaffected voters from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The AKP has also been accused of attempting to render the security situation in south-eastern Turkey, where there had been a huge swing from

4144-404: The AKP to the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in June's election, unfit for peaceful elections in order to reduce turnout and thus the HDP's vote share. The opposition have accused the AKP of 'punishing' the south-east, especially the southern town of Cizre where the HDP won 85% of the vote in June, by imposing prolonged curfews lasting nearly a week to combat PKK militants there. Despite

4256-562: The Grand National Assembly's history, lasting for just five months and being in session for a total of 33 hours. The elections took place amid security concerns after ceasefire negotiations between the government and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels collapsed in July, causing a resumption of separatist conflict in the predominantly Kurdish south-east of the country. Close to 150 security personnel lost their lives in

4368-493: The Guido Steinberh, the Turkish government cooperated with the group against the PKK and it's believed that Kurdish Hezbollah's influence was not limited to Turkey and it has also left an imprint on some Kurds who had migrated to Germany. In 1987, when Hüseyin Velioğlu moved his bookshop to Batman , different opinions on leadership and armed actions resulted in the split of the two wings. The so-called İlim-wing, under

4480-608: The HDP this time round. The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-leader Figen Yüksekdağ announced that the HDP was targeting a vote share close to 20%. Following a Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attack in Dağlıca that killed 16 soldiers, the HDP's other co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş cancelled a planned overseas trip in Germany and returned to Turkey. The party, which has long been accused of supporting and maintaining links with

4592-506: The Iranian-backed Kurdish Hizbullah ". The Association for Solidarity with Mustazafs ( Turkish : Oppressed ) (Mustazaf-Der) was established in 2004 to support those arrested and their families as a result of the police operation named as Beykoz Operation targeting Hezbollah. The association was closed in 2012 on the grounds that it was a continuation of Hezbollah. After the association was closed, then, since it

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4704-408: The June election resulted in a hung parliament and coalition negotiations broke down. Although the election, dubbed as a 're-run' of the inconclusive June election by President Erdoğan, was the 7th early election in the history of Turkish politics, it was the first to be overseen by an interim election government . The election rendered the 25th Parliament of Turkey , elected in June, the shortest in

4816-415: The June election, falling well below the 10% boundary needed to win seats. Opinion polling mainly showed that the AKP had increased their popularity since June by around 2–3% of the vote, though this was not enough to give them a parliamentary majority according to seat predictions. On the other hand, some polls (especially pro-opposition pollsters such as SONAR and Gezici) showed the AKP to have fallen below

4928-673: The MHP for disobeying the party line. All other CHP and MHP MPs declined invitations for ministerial positions, with their ministerial positions subsequently going to independents. The government, sworn in on 28 August, is formed of 12 AKP MPs (including the Prime Minister), 12 Independents and 2 HDP MPs. Many of the independents, such as Energy Minister Ali Rıza Alaboyun , National Defence Minister Vecdi Gönül , Customs Minister Cenap Aşçı and Agriculture Minister Kutbettin Arzu are known to be active AKP supporters, though are not members of

5040-555: The Oppressed" (tr: Mustazaflar ile Dayanışma Derneği or short Mustazaf Der) in 2003. It also became known as the Movement of the Oppressed ( Turkish : Mustazaflar Hareketi ). On 18 April 2010 Mustazaf Der organized a mass meeting in Diyarbakir to celebrate the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad 's birthday (known as Mawlid ). The Turkish police estimated that the event was attended by 120,000 people. The organizers put

5152-440: The PKK to lay down their arms. The HDP announced its manifesto on 1 October, beginning with the slogan 'İnandına HDP, İnadına barış' , which roughly translates to 'We insist on the HDP, we insist on peace!'. Their manifesto centred around the issues of democracy, peace and justice, with a commitment to restart the solution process . The manifesto also pledged actions on workers' safety standards, tackling corruption and to reform

5264-605: The PKK, but have targeted both PKK militants and other people they considered "immoral" (people who drank alcohol, wore mini-skirts etc.). Between 1992 and 1995 they killed around 500 PKK members, for the loss of around 200 of its own. In 2007, after the Assassination of Hrant Dink , his friend Orhan Alkaya suggested that the three-shot assassination technique was a signature mark of the Kurdish Hezbollah. KH also targeted journalists who wrote about its activities, particularly those who wrote about connections between them and

5376-431: The PKK, received criticism in the run-up to the elections after a breakout of violence in the south-east, with the governing AKP pursuing a strategy of associating the HDP as much as possible with the PKK's acts of terrorism. However, sources have maintained that the HDP maintains little control over PKK militants, with Demirtaş calling for both sides to return to peace through restarting the solution process and calling for

5488-491: The President of the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey (YSK), stating that the YSK was prepared for an early election and had organised an election within 63 days in the past. He stated that unless 9th article of the Parliamentary Elections Law was invoked, the most likely date for an early election would be the first Sunday after 90 days from President Erdoğan's decision to call a snap election. Invoking

5600-648: The Turkish state. It was believed that the group gets support from Turkish army for its conflict against the PKK. Journalists, mainly Kurds, associated with 2000'e Doğru and Özgür Gündem were particularly targeted (see List of journalists killed in Turkey ). Some of KH's major attacks allegedly include an April 1999 suicide bombing in Bingöl, and the February 2001 assassination of Diyarbakir police chief Gaffar Okkan (and five other police). The Kurdish Hezbollah claimed that they do not work with Turkey and that it

5712-459: The YSK before the deadline, the Centre Party later announced on 22 September that they were withdrawing from the election, claiming that they would instead be diverting efforts to improving their local branches and support. The party's leader Abdurrahim Karslı issued a statement criticising the AKP for ignoring the will of the people in the June 2015 vote and calling a new election, accusing

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5824-614: The anniversary of the Islamic prophet Muhammad 's birthday (known as Mawlid ). The Turkish police estimated that the event was attended by 2 million people. The organizers put the figure at over 2.5 million people. On 20 April 2010, a court in Diyarbakır ordered the closure of the Association for the Oppressed (Mustazaf-Der) on the grounds that it was “conducting activities on behalf of the terrorist organization Hizbollah.” The decision

5936-462: The armed wing. In this period nearly 6000 KH members were arrested. In the time to follow many trials were conducted in Diyarbakır and other places against alleged members of Hezbollah. In several instances defendants raised torture allegations. Such allegations are documented in Urgent Actions (UA) of Amnesty International . In the trial in which Edip Gümüş and Cemal Tutar were indicted

6048-400: The attack. Fehmi Demir , the leader of the Rights and Freedoms Party (HAK-PAR), was killed in a traffic accident six days before the election. Amid speculation that the election would likely result in a second hung parliament, pollsters and commentators were found to have drastically underestimated the AKP vote, which bore resemblance to their record 2011 election victory . With 49.5% of

6160-477: The cities in Western Turkey. The Kurdish Hezbollah began shifting increasingly towards Kurdish nationalism during Velioğlu's final years, and after Velioğlu's death, under İsa Altsoy's leadership, they disarmed and began focusing on charity work for the Kurdish population under various organizations. The Hezbollah reestablished in 2003 in southeastern Turkey and "today its ideology might be more widespread then ever among Kurds there". Turkish Hezbollah's influence

6272-455: The cities of Batman and Bingöl, gathering more than 10 percent of the votes. Turkish Hezbollah Kurdish Hezbollah ( Kurdish : حیزبوڵڵای کورد , romanized :  Hizbullahî Kurdî , Turkish : Kürt Hizbullahı ) or Hizbullah , is a Kurdish Sunni Islamist militant organization, active against Turkey , and the PKK (mainly in the period between 1992 and 1995). It

6384-461: The closure of these after the 1980 Turkish coup d'état , it appeared clear that the military was too strongly dedicated to secularism for the democratic route to be an option, and a group of Islamists launched the Union Movement ( Vahdet Hareketi ). The movement organised around two bookshops in Diyarbakır – Fidan Gündör's Menzil and Hüseyin Velioğlu 's İlim . Until 1987 the groups gathered around these bookshops worked together. According to

6496-497: The coalition efforts in order to force an early vote. Polls also showed that a clear majority of AKP voters favoured an early election, though supporters of opposition parties were shown to have preferred a coalition. The leader of the AKP's coalition negotiation team Ömer Çelik was also seen as a proponent for an early election rather than a coalition, with Davutoğlu allegedly attempting but failing to remove him from his role due to his close relations with President Erdoğan. During

6608-528: The coalition negotiations, reports that the AKP were preparing for an early election resulted in numerous suggestions for possible polling dates, with the most likely (and eventually confirmed) option being in November 2015. Other possible dates included Spring 2016, though AKP politicians claimed that elections could have been held as early as October 2015. Speculation on the date resulted in Sadi Güven ,

6720-538: The company had all the required documentation since 2011. The arrests came just before Gezici announced the results of their poll, which showed the AKP polling at between 35 and 39%. With the government having been accused of trying to conduct a 'perception operation' by releasing biased polling results in past elections, many opposition journalists and commentators accused the government of trying to cover up their actual vote share by obstructing pro-opposition pollsters from conducting their research. * These polls included

6832-448: The constitution to place a greater emphasis on democracy and human rights. The AKP's election song 'Haydi Bismillah' was banned by the YSK on 24 September on the grounds that it used religious aspects in a political campaign, following a complaint by the CHP. The Republican People's Party (CHP) announced their election manifesto on 30 September and renewed their pledge to increase the national minimum wage to ₺1,500. The party adopted

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6944-479: The date to be set for 1 November 2015 was ridiculed by opposition commentators since it would be the 93rd anniversary of the abolition of the Ottoman sultanate , which was deemed ironic due to what the opposition called Erdoğan's perceived 'desires' to become a sultan through implementing a presidential system . This election will be the 7th early election called in the history of Turkish multi-party politics, with

7056-547: The defendant Fahrettin Özdemir said on 10 July 2000 that he had been held in custody for 59 days and had been tortured. In the hearing of 11 September 2000 Cemal Tutar said that he had been held in police custody for 180 days. The Turkish Hezbollah trial was concluded in December 2009. The defendants received varying terms of imprisonment. Eighteen members of Turkish Hezbollah, amongst them Edip Gümüs and Cemal Tutar, were released from jail on 4 January 2011, in accordance with

7168-653: The election. Of the 29 parties eligible, 18 fielded candidates by the deadline of 17:00 local time on 18 September 2015. This was a drop of 2 since the June 2015 vote, which had been contested by 20 parties. Parties that had contested the election in June that did not field candidates this time round included the Anatolia Party (ANAPAR), the Homeland Party (YURT-P), the Social Reconciliation Reform and Development Party (TURK-P) and

7280-461: The electoral victory may embolden President Erdoğan to further crackdown upon free speech. Turkish politics is largely dominated by four main parties. The largest is the right-wing Islamist rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has been described as a conservative democratic party and has been in power since winning a landslide victory in the 2002 general election . The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has remained as

7392-565: The ending of the Solution process . Despite attempts to tarnish the HDP through accusing it of direct relations with the PKK, the HDP was shown in every poll to remain somewhat comfortably above the 10% threshold, making an AKP majority unlikely. On 19 September, a group of Gezici employees conducting a poll were arrested by the police for allegedly not having the required documents to conduct polling research and were released shortly after. Gezici owner Murat Gezici denied these claims, stating that

7504-429: The ensuing conflict, causing tensions between Turkish and Kurdish nationalists and raising security concerns over whether an election could have been peacefully conducted in the south-east, where conditions were described as a 'worsening bloodshed' by observers. Critics accused the government of deliberately sparking the conflict in order to win back votes it had lost to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and decrease

7616-483: The exception of İzmir , Istanbul and Ankara . Provinces electing between 19 and 36 MPs are split into two electoral districts, while any province electing above 36 MPs are divided into three. As the country's most populous provinces, İzmir and Ankara are divided into two subdistricts while Istanbul is divided into three. The distribution of elected MPs per electoral district is shown below. The Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey (YSK) announced that 29 parties had met

7728-483: The figure at over 300,000. On 20 April 2010 a court in Diyarbakir ordered the closure of the Association for the Oppressed (Mustazaf-Der) on the grounds that it was "conducting activities on behalf of the terrorist organization Hizbollah." The decision was confirmed by the Court of Cassation on 11 May 2012. In late 2012, the Movement of the Oppressed announced its will to found a political party, basically to challenge

7840-528: The first place, even though they had previously stated otherwise. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) began their election campaign with an ordinary congress held on 12 September 2015 . Party leader and serving Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu stood as a candidate for re-election, though an apparent disagreement with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over Davutoğlu's provisional Central Decision Executive Board (MKYK) candidates caused Erdoğan's special advisor Binali Yıldırım to begin collecting signatures for

7952-410: The first place. The left-libertarian Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) also announced that it would not contest the election. The Kurdish Islamist Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) also ruled out contesting the election, claiming that it would not be a healthy means of gauging voters' opinions under the security circumstances in the south-east of the country. Despite submitting their candidate lists to

8064-441: The freedom of religion and worship to be lifted, the headscarf ban ended, wants adultery criminalized, and religious marriages to be recognized. Moreover, the party demands that the Turkish state apologize to Kurds and reinstate the original names of Kurdish-populated places . The party has largely been silent on the question of Kurdish autonomy or independence from Turkey. The party is opposed to LGBT rights , and routinely denounces

8176-443: The government of 'thoughtlessness and waywardness' in spending over ₺2 billion on calling the new vote. Despite polling well below the 10% election threshold , the Social Reconciliation Reform and Development Party (TURK-P) took 72,701 votes in the June 2015 election. The unusually high votes cast for the party (especially in areas where the party had no campaign events such as Trabzon ), was attributed to illiterate voters mistaking

8288-933: The hegemony of the Peace and Democracy Party . In December 2012, a political party with the name Free Cause Party ( Hür Dava Partisi ) was founded. Hüda-Par, the abbreviated form of the party's name is synonymous with Hizbollah, both interpreted as the "God's Party", emphasising that the party is a front for the otherwise illegal Hizbollah. Societies affiliated with Hüda-Par operate under the umbrella organisation Lovers of Prophet ( Turkish : Peygamber Sevdalıları , Kurdish : Evindarên Pêyxamber ) particularly active in Kurdish Mawlid meetings. November 2015 Turkish general election Ahmet Davutoğlu AK Party Ahmet Davutoğlu AK Party General elections were held in Turkey on 1 November 2015 to elect 550 members to

8400-425: The issue of the growing unrest, the MHP produced a short video showing AKP and HDP politicians making false statements and contradicting themselves, in order to give the message that the MHP had been right to oppose the solution process after all. In the event that the election produced the same outcome as the June election, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli claimed that they would form a coalition with any party apart from

8512-482: The issues of terrorism and the economy. Although the party produced an election song to accompany their Önce Türkiye slogan, events such as the manifesto announcement and rallies took place in rather subdued atmospheres in respect for fallen soldiers during the conflict in the south-east. During the campaign, Kılıçdaroğlu revealed that the AKP had asked for assurances that the CHP would not pursue legal proceedings against President Erdoğan or his family should they enter

8624-621: The kidnapping of several businessmen in Istanbul and the subsequent raid of a house in Beykoz quarter a nationwide hunt on Hezbollah supporters followed. During the operation in Beykoz on 17 January 2000 Hüseyin Velioğlu was killed and Edip Gümüş and Cemal Tutar were detained. Edip Gümüş, born 1958 in Batman was alleged to lead the military wing of Hezbollah and Cemal Tutar was said to be a member of

8736-470: The leadership of Hüseyin Velioğlu insisted to start the armed struggle immediately. The dispute resulted in bloody fighting between the two factions. Between 1990 and 1993, the İlim group killed many members of the Menzil group, and ultimately emerged victorious. In 1993 the İlim group took the name Hizbullah . The group which became known as Hizbollah took this name in 1993, after emerging victorious from

8848-539: The magazine had examined relations between the state and Hizbullah. Hafiz Akdemir, reporter for Özgür Gündem (Free Agenda), was shot dead in a Diyarbakır street on June 8, 1992, after reporting that a man who had given refuge to assassins fleeing a Hezbollah-style double killing in Silvan was released after only six weeks in custody, without even appearing in court. The 1993 report of Turkey's Parliamentary Investigation Commission referred to information that Hezbollah had

8960-418: The number of MPs they have in Parliament. With the parliamentary composition at the time, the AKP was entitled to 11 ministries, the CHP to 5 and both the MHP and the HDP were entitled to 3 each. However, the CHP and the MHP refused to take part. Davutoğlu sent invitations to CHP and MHP parliamentarians despite this, with MHP MP Tuğrul Türkeş surprisingly accepting the invitation and later being suspended from

9072-639: The number of militants as high as 20,000 a figure presented by the Center for Defense Information as well. Information provided by the Intelligence Resource Program of the Federation of American Scientists based on the 2002 Patterns of Global Terrorism report suggests that the organisation possibly has a few hundred members and several thousand supporters. Ufuk Hiçyılmaz stated that the group had about 1,000 armed members. After

9184-411: The organization were educated in the headquarters of Turkey's rapid deployment force ( Çevik Kuvvet ) in Diyarbakır. Two days after the article was published its author, Halit Güngen was killed by unidentified murderers. Namik Taranci, the Diyarbakir representative of the weekly journal Gerçek (Reality), was shot dead on November 20, 1992 on his way to work in Diyarbakır. Again, the previous edition of

9296-412: The party's abbreviation, "Hüda-Par", is synonymous with "Hezbollah", both meaning "Party of God". The party accuse allegations of terrorism against HÜDA PAR and DEM Party as unlawful. The party supported Erdoğan in the 2018 presidential elections and again in 2023 . Since its creation in 2012, HÜDA PAR has contested the two parliamentary elections of June 2015 and 2018, while it chose not to run for

9408-467: The party's appeal as much as possible. On 15 September, talks between the AKP and SP ended unsuccessfully and the SP leader Mustafa Kamalak announced that they would contest the election alone, with the two parties failing to agree on the number of MPs that should be given to SP politicians. The Rights and Justice Party (HAP) opted out of contesting the election and endorsed the AKP. The Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu held

9520-410: The party's logo for that of the AKP. Following the election, the AKP took the TURK Party to court over the similarity in logos, with the TURK Party nevertheless being declared eligible to contest the November election by the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey (YSK). One day after submitting their candidate lists, the TURK Party was blocked from contesting the election by a court that ruled in favour of

9632-423: The party. Former AKP MPs Vecdi Gönül Kutbettin Arzu and Ali Rıza Alaboyun resigned from the AKP in order to become independent ministers. Turkey elects 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 must surpass the 10% election threshold . Parties that do not win above 10% of

9744-467: The penal code. The HDP also made a commitment to recognising the Armenian genocide , a pledge that was criticised by pro-government newspapers. The leader of the Kurdish federalist Rights and Freedoms Party (HAK-PAR), Fehmi Demir , died in a traffic accident on 25 October 2015, on the last day of overseas voting. The HAK-PAR had fielded candidates in 78 electoral districts and had won 60,000 votes in

9856-592: The polling company Andy-Ar, who stated that both the CHP and AKP had failed to capture the young vote despite a surge of young registered voters since 2002. Nevertheless, experts commented that the party's policies on solving the unrest in the south-east of the country to be insufficient. Party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also appeared on numerous question-and-answer shows with an audience made up of predominantly young people and students. The party held its first electoral rally in Mersin on 3 October 2015, focusing mainly on

9968-416: The previous 6 occurring in 1957 , 1987 , 1991 , 1995 , 1999 and 2002 . It was observed that in every early election called, the governing party had always suffered a fall in their vote share. The 2007 general election was also technically an early election, being called four months early after Parliament failed to elect a President , resulting in a more than 10-point increase in the AKP's share of

10080-531: The requirements of eligibility to contest the general election. This was down from 31 in the previous election held in June. The Homeland Party (YURT-P), the Rights and Equality Party (HEPAR) and the Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) all lost their eligibility, while the Labour Party (EMEP) regained its eligibility to contest, having lost it before the June 2015 election. 21 independents contested

10192-440: The results in each electoral district according to the number of MPs they return. For example, Konya elects 14 MPs, which is 2.55% of the total elected (550). Therefore, 2.55% of all overseas votes will be allocated to Konya's results, on the basis of the parties' overseas vote share. Turkey is split into 85 electoral districts , which elect a certain number of Members to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey . The Assembly has

10304-403: The safety of the election as 'debatable'. Both the Homeland Party (YURT-P) and the Rights and Equality Party (HEPAR) announced that they would boycott the elections, voicing concerns over President Erdoğan's controversial tactics and speculating that a new election would not give a different result. However, it was also noted that the two parties were not eligible to contest the election in

10416-460: The second largest party since 2002, observing a centre-left social democratic and Kemalist ideology. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) observes a Turkish nationalist ideology and has maintained third party status in Parliament since the 2007 general election . The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) was founded in 2012 and originates from the left-wing Peoples' Democratic Congress . It

10528-518: The short-lived tenure of the 25th Parliament, it was observed that 40% of the AKP's party candidate lists fielded in April for the June 2015 election had been changed by September. Notable changes included the candidacies of many of the party's high-profile founders such as Binali Yıldırım , Faruk Çelik and Ali Babacan , all of which had been unable to seek re-election in June for reaching their three-term limit. Former MHP MP Tuğrul Türkeş , who served as

10640-421: The slogan 'Önce İnsan, Önce Birlik, Önce Türkiye,' which translates to 'People first, unity first, Turkey first' . Building on their June 2015 manifesto, which had been criticised for omitting policies for young people, the CHP also launched policies to increase internet freedom and offer financial relief to students going into debt during higher education. The emphasis on young people was seen as significant by

10752-410: The social democratic Democratic Left Party (DSP), though neither party managed to command a significant amount of support in previous elections. Elections were held on 7 June 2015 in order to elect the 25th Parliament of Turkey , following the expiry of the 24th Parliament's four-year term. Suffering a 9% decrease in their vote share, the governing AKP won 258 out of the 550 seats, 18 seats short of

10864-541: The south-east, with CHP MP İhsan Özkes resigning from his party shortly after June's election and heavily criticised the party for its closeness to the HDP. Patriotic Party (VP) leader Doğu Perinçek claimed after unsuccessful alliance negotiations with the CHP that he had 'failed to rescue the CHP from the clutches of the HDP.' The HDP had also signalled a possible coalition with the CHP. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) set out their party lists in September, in which prominent MHP Member of Parliament Meral Akşener

10976-405: The three opposition parties. With the HDP refusing to join a coalition with the AKP and the MHP preferring to remain in opposition, Davutoğlu entered extended negotiations with the main opposition CHP over a possible grand coalition deal. After 35 hours of negotiations spanning over 10 days, negotiations broke down after CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu claimed that Davutoğlu had only offered the CHP

11088-539: The umbrella organisation Lovers of the Prophet ( Turkish : Peygamber Sevdalıları , Kurdish : Evindarên Pêyxamber ) particularly active in Kurdish Mawlid meetings. The party supported the ruling People's Alliance in the elections of 2023. The party cooperated with AKP in some cities in the local elections of 2024. The party has been described as "an extreme Islamist party" and as "the political wing of

11200-438: The vote and 317 seats, the party won a comfortable majority of 84, while the CHP retained its main opposition status with 134 seats and 25.4% of the vote. The results were widely seen as a 'shock' win for the AKP and was hailed as a massive personal victory for President Erdoğan. The MHP and the HDP both saw decreases in support, with both hovering dangerously close to the 10% election threshold needed to win seats. The MHP, which

11312-481: The vote nationwide have their votes re-allocated to the party coming first in each electoral district, in most cases producing a large winners bonus for the party that comes first overall. The threshold does not apply to independent candidates . Since the 2014 presidential election , Turkish expats have been given the right to vote in elections overseas. The total votes won by each party abroad, as well as their votes cast at customs gates, are proportionally allocated to

11424-469: The vote. The November 2015 election is the first to be overseen by an interim election government, which must be formed in the event that the President calls an early vote if a government cannot be formed. With the June 2015 election being the only election after which politicians were unable to form a government, this is the first time the constitutional provision requiring an interim election government has been enacted. Serving Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu

11536-447: Was aided by the political polarisation in Turkey, which was perceived to have made it difficult for two parties to come together in a coalition. Even in the event of a coalition, it was deemed unlikely that two parties could maintain an agreement for the length of the parliament, making an early election before the required date of June 2019 highly likely. During his speech on election night, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli stated that his party

11648-510: Was confirmed by the Court of Cassation on 11 May 2012. In late 2012, the Movement of the Oppressed announced its will to found a political party, to challenge the hegemony of the left-wing and Kurdish nationalist Peace and Democracy Party . On 17 December 2012, the Free Cause Party ( Hür Dava Partisi ) was founded. On 9 January 2013, the general headquarters in Ankara was opened. Societies affiliated with HÜDA PAR operate under

11760-527: Was difficult to close political parties in Turkey, Movement of the Oppressed ( Turkish : Mustazaflar Hareketi ) continued its activities by founding the Free Cause Party. Free Cause Party calls for the constitutional recognition of the Kurds and Kurdish language , mother tongue education, the end to the 10 percent election threshold, and the decentralization of state power and strengthening of local administration. The party also advocates for restrictions on

11872-634: Was financed by and trained in post-revolutionary Iran , with Iran allegedly using terror groups to establish Islamic governments throughout the Middle East. Further groups within Hezbollah were named as Tevhid , led by Nurettin Şirin and Mehmet Şahin and Yeryüzü , led by Burhan Kavuncu. Besides the town of Batman, Hezbollah was strongest in Cizre district of Şırnak , Nusaybin district of Mardin and Silvan district of Diyarbakır province. For

11984-628: Was not limited to Turkey and it has also "left an imprint on Turkish Kurds in Germany ." The Kurdish Hezbollah is closely affiliated with the Free Cause Party (HÜDA PAR). Despite similar names, Kurdish Hezbollah has no relationship whatsoever with Hezbollah of Lebanon, the Kurdish Revolutionary Hezbollah or the Kurdish Hezbollah of Iran . In the 1970s various Kurdish Islamists sought to work through democratic means to develop Islamism in Turkey. It initially remained

12096-494: Was ready for an early election. It was widely observed by media commentators and opposition politicians that a vast majority of AKP politicians were in favour of going into an early election rather than forming a coalition government. President Erdoğan, the founder and former leader of the AKP, was widely seen to have observed a similar attitude. MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli and many other opposition politicians criticised Erdoğan for interfering and allegedly attempting to tamper with

12208-505: Was reported that the HDP's Kurdish Islamist rival Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) would form an alliance with the AKP, though this again failed to materialise and the HÜDA-PAR ended up not contesting the election. Several parties, many of which were not eligible to field their own candidates, instead endorsed other parties. A full list of endorsements are shown in the following table. The Anatolia Party (ANAPAR), which had broken away from

12320-425: Was seen to have been punished for its perceivably unconstructive stance since June, halved their parliamentary representation from 80 to 40 and won 11.9% of the vote, while the HDP came third in terms of seats with 59 MPs despite coming fourth in terms of votes with 10.7%. The elections were broadly regarded as free and fair but were overshadowed by the violence between the Turkish state and the PKK, with concern that

12432-553: Was stripped of her candidacy. The move was attributed to party leader Devlet Bahçeli attempting to avoid strong rivals in any future leadership contest, causing a backlash on Twitter with the slogan "No Akşener, no vote either!" . The MHP unveiled their manifesto on 3 October, renewing their commitment to raising the minimum wage to ₺1,400 and pledging to guarantee a job to at least one member of each family. The party also pledged to abolish university entrance exams and to give two one-off ₺1,400 payments to pensioners every year. On

12544-593: Was tasked with forming the interim government on 25 August 2015, a day after Erdoğan announced the snap poll. As required by the Constitution of Turkey , the government must be a national unity government with all parties represented in Parliament taking part. Due to their significance in the lead-up to elections, the Ministers of Justice , the Interior and Transport must be Independent . The remaining 22 ministries are allocated to each political party according to

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