Turkey’s 2015 Election Prospects

Rethink Paper (Rethink Institute) No. 23, April 2015

Turkey Task Force

On Sunday, June 7, 2015, Turkish citizens are headed to the polls once again. The elections will be nationwide general elections for 550 seats in the Turkish Parliament.The major issues that have permeated the electoral climate are the potential switch to presidentialism, trampled rights and freedoms, the economic downturn, and the Kurdish question. The prospects for free and fair elections are also frequently contested, given irregularities in the elections of 2014 and increasingly restricted media.

Takeaways 

Recent polls show that the pro-Kurdish HDP has swung to around 10%, while the pro-Turkish MHP has further increased its share, reaching 16% to 18%. The major opposition party (CHP) has a broader range, from 23% to 29%. Support for the ruling AKP, on the other hand, wavers around 39% to 44%.

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