People's Alliance (Turkey)
People's Alliance Cumhur İttifakı | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (AKP) Devlet Bahçeli (MHP) Mustafa Destici (BBP) |
| Founded | February 2018 |
| Ideology | National conservatism Social conservatism Right-wing populism Erdoğanism |
| Political position | Right-wing to far-right |
| Grand National Assembly | 341 / 600 |
| Metropolitan municipalities | 21 / 30 |
| District municipalities | 972 / 1,351 |
| Provincial councillors | 957 / 1,251 |
| Municipal Assemblies | 14,196 / 20,498 |
| |
The Cumhur İttifakı (commonly translated into English as the People's Alliance[1]) is an electoral alliance in Turkey, established in February 2018 between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).[2] The alliance was formed to contest the 2018 general election, and brings together the political parties supporting the re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.[3] Its main rival was the Nation Alliance, that was created by four opposition parties, which was established on 3 May 2018 but had dissolved by 4 July.[4]
Contents
1 History
1.1 Background
1.2 Formation
2 Composition
2.1 Founding members
2.2 Additional members
2.3 Supporting parties
2.3.1 Presidential support
3 References
History
Background
With the support of MHP votes in the Grand National Assembly, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan succeeded on passing the constitutional referendum in April 2017, which turn Turkey into a presidential system and would expand the executive power of the President of Turkey. Members of the MHP dissidents formed a new party, the new formed of the moderate conservative nationalist İyi Party.
Since the new party formed, both AKP and MHP fear to lose votes to a new nationalist party formed by former MHP members, which oppose the MHP decided to vote for support President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's constitutional amendment. As a result, the two parties agree to form a coalition.
Formation
The alliance has a joint presidential candidate, incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Each party is expected to nominate candidates for parliament separately.
On 23 October 2018, after a series of public disagreements between the AKP and MHP, the MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli formally announced that his party would no longer seek to field joint candidates in prominent areas in the forthcoming March 2019 local elections. In response, Erdoğan stressed that the two parties were fundamentally different, and must go their separate ways on issues they disagreed on.[citation needed]
Public disagreements focussed on a general pardon for pro-MHP prisoners, as well as a court decision to annul the abolition of the Student Oath. The oath had been abolished during the Solution process by the AKP government in an attempt to appease Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) rebels, who regard its recital as racist. The court's decision to re-establish it was strongly supported by the MHP, while opposed by the AKP.[citation needed]
However, both parties have stressed that they do not regard this as a dissolution of the alliance in the Turkish parliament and that the suspension of the electoral alliance for the local elections is only temporary.[5]
Composition
Founding members
| Name | Ideology | Position | Leader | MPs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AKP | Justice and Development Party Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi | Social conservatism[6] | Right-wing | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | 290 / 600 | |
MHP | Nationalist Movement Party Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi | Turkish ultranationalism[7] | Far-right | Devlet Bahçeli | 50 / 600 | |
Additional members
| Name | Ideology | Position | Leader | MPs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BBP | Great Unity Party Büyük Birlik Partisi | Turkish-Islamic synthesis[8] | Far-right | Mustafa Destici | 1 / 600 | |
After the formation of the alliance, there was speculation in the Turkish media, as well as among prominent analysts and politicians, that other minor parties could join the it before the 24 June 2018 elections. The parties most commonly mentioned as potential future members were the Great Unity Party (BBP) and the Felicity Party (SP).[9] While the SP ruled out joining the alliance, the BBP entered talks to join.[10] In early May 2018, the BBP ultimately joined the alliance on the lists of the AKP,[11] while the Felicity Party instead aligned with the opposition Nation alliance led by the Republican People' Party.
Supporting parties
| Name | Ideology | Position | Leader | MPs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ANAP | Motherland Party Anavatan Partisi | Liberal conservatism[12] | Centre-right | İbrahim Çelebi | 0 / 600 | |
ASP | AS Party AS Parti | Pro-military | Cavit Kayıkçı | 0 / 600 | ||
On 14 May, the Motherland Party (ANAP) announced that it would support the People's Alliance, on the basis of the political ideology of their founder, Turgut Özal. ANAP had supported 'No' in the 2017 constitutional referendum, as opposed to all other parties within the Alliance that had said 'Yes'.[13]
On 18 May 2018, the AS Party (ASP) announced its support for the People's Alliance.[14]
Presidential support
| Name | Ideology | Position | Leader | MPs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HÜDAPAR | Free Cause Party Hür Dava Partisi | Pan-Islamism | Far-right | Mehmet Yavuz | 0 / 600 | |
The Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) only supports the Alliance in the presidential election while contesting the parliamentary election as a stand-alone party,
References
^ "AKP, MHP to press button for 'People's Alliance'". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 20 February 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan AKP-MHP ittifakının ismini açıkladı: Cumhur İttifakı". Sözcü. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
^ "Turkey's nationalist opposition to back Erdogan in 2019 election". Reuters. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
^ https://www.dailysabah.com/elections/2018/05/02/opposition-parties-agree-to-unite-against-peoples-alliance-in-upcoming-turkish-elections
^ https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/will-erdogan-s-power-be-shaken-after-losing-his-biggest-ally-turkey-394900389
^ Göçek, Fatma Müge (2011). "The Transformation of Turkey: Redefining State and Society from the Ottoman Empire to the Modern Era". I.B. Tauris: 56.
Tocci, Nathalie (2012). "Turkey and the European Union". The Routledge Handbook of Modern Turkey. Routledge: 241.
^ Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues. p.230. Author - Gus Martin. 4th edition. Published by SAGE in Los Angeles, California, USA. Retrieved via Google Books.
^ Cetinsaya, Gokhan (July–October 1999). "Rethinking Nationalism and Islam". The Muslim World. LXXIX (3–4): 374–375.
^ "Selvi'den Bomba İddia: AK Parti, MHP Dışında, SP ve BBP ile de İttifak İçin Görüşüyor". Haberler. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
^ "Felicity Party leader says joining People's Alliance not on agenda". Daily Sabah. 1 March 2018.
^ "Son dakika: BBP, AK Parti listelerinden seçime girecek". HaberTürk. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
^ Kockel, Ulrich (2004). Connecting Cultures. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 247.
^ http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/siyaset/977511/ANAP_in_ittifak_tercihi_3_gun_sonra_fark_edildi..._Takipci_sayisi_270__tercihi_Cumhur_ittifaki.html
^ Mynet. "AS Parti'den Cumhur İttifakı'na destek! - Seçim Haberleri". Mynet.com. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
