Turkish general election, 2002

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 ("AKP"), 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.

Results

Voting ended in the country's 32 eastern provinces at 3pm, having begun an hour earlier, 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.

Total votes and seats for each party

Interpretation

The election was widely interpreted as a protest vote against the corruption-riddled traditional forces of Turkish politics. It reflected the soaring popularity of the AKP, established barely a year before, and prompted a number of established party leaders to resign.

Effects

New government

Although the AKP'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 Gül, 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 Yılmaz, former prime minister and leader of the Motherland Party (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 Çiller, former prime minister and leader of the True Path Party (DYP). Çiller was succeeded by her former interior minister, Mehmet Ağar.
*Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (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, but did not end up leaving until a party conference in 2004.