Towards a new Turkish party system?

Abstract

This essay examines the impact of the 2002 parliamentary elections in Turkey on the Turkish party system. While the 2002 elections did not indicate a trend toward the stabilization of the electorate, they ushered in a number of important changes in the party system, including the rise to power of a political party with an Islamist pedigree, the emergence of a two-party system in the parliament, and the replacement of coalition or minority governments with single-party majority rule. After delineating the changes in the party system, the study discusses possible new paths for party competition in Turkey in the near future.