People's Alliance (Turkey)

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People's Alliance
Cumhur İttifakı
LeaderRecep Tayyip Erdoğan (AKP)
Devlet Bahçeli (MHP)
Mustafa Destici (BBP)
FoundedFebruary 2018
IdeologyNational conservatism[1][2]
Social conservatism[3][4]
Right-wing populism[5][6]
Turkish nationalism[7][8]
Centralization
Erdoğanism
Presidentialism
Islamic democracy
Euroscepticism
Political positionRight-wing[9][10][11][12]
to far-right[13][14][15]
Grand National Assembly
337 / 600
Metropolitan municipalities
16 / 30
District municipalities
975 / 1,351
Provincial councillors
945 / 1,251
Municipal Assemblies
12,992 / 20,498

The People's Alliance[16] (Turkish: Cumhur İttifakı) 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).[17] 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.[18] Its main rival is the Nation Alliance, which was originally created by four opposition parties in 2018 and was re-established in 2019.[19]

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 turned 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 Good 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 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.[20]

Composition[]

Founding members[]

Party Leader Position Ideology MPs
AKP Justice and Development Party
Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi 		Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Right-wing Social conservatism[21]
288 / 600
MHP Nationalist Movement Party
Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi 		Devlet Bahçeli Far-right Turkish ultranationalism[22]
48 / 600

Additional members[]

Party Leader Position Ideology MPs
BBP Great Unity Party
Büyük Birlik Partisi 		Mustafa Destici Far-right Turkish-Islamic synthesis[23]
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 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).[24] While the SP ruled out joining the alliance, the BBP entered talks to join.[25] In early May 2018, the BBP ultimately joined the alliance on the lists of the AKP,[26] while the Felicity Party instead aligned with the opposition Nation alliance led by the Republican People' Party.

Supporting parties[]

Party Leader Position Ideology MPs
VP Patriotic Party
Vatan Partisi 		Doğu Perinçek Left-wing to far-left Left-wing nationalism
0 / 600
ANAP Motherland Party
Anavatan Partisi 		Centre-right Liberal conservatism[27]
0 / 600
ASP AS Party
AS Parti 		Pro-military
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'.[28]

On 18 May 2018, the AS Party (ASP) announced its support for the People's Alliance.[29]

On 20 December 2019, it was reported the Patriotic Party (VP) favoured the People's Alliance.[30]

Presidential support[]

Party Leader Position Ideology MPs
HÜDA PAR Free Cause Party
Hür Dava Partisi 		Mehmet Yavuz Far-right Pan-Islamism
Recognition of Kurdish rights
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[]

  1. ^ Carkoglu, Ali (2004). Turkey and the European Union: Domestic Politics, Economic Integration and International Dynamics. Routledge. p. 127.
  2. ^ Bayat, Asef (2013). Post-Islamism. Oxford University Press. p. 11.
  3. ^ Celep, Ödül (2010). "Turkey's Radical Right and the Kurdish Issue: The MHP's Reaction to the "Democratic Opening"". Insight Turkey. 12 (2).
  4. ^ "AKP yet to win over wary business elite". Financial Times. 8 July 2007.
  5. ^ Gunes, Cengiz (2013). "The Kurdish Question in Turkey". Routledge: 270. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ Farnen, Russell F., ed. (2004). Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Identity: Cross National and Comparative Perspectives. Transaction Secularism Publishers. p. 252. ISBN 9781412829366. ..the nationalist-fascist Turkish National Movement Party (MHP).
  7. ^ Gerges, Fawaz (2016). Contentious Politics in the Middle East. Springer. p. 297.
  8. ^ "'Our bodies are Turkish, our souls Islamic!' The rise of Turkey's ultra-nationalists". Middle East Eye. 20 July 2018.
  9. ^ Soner Cagaptay (2015-10-17). "Turkey's divisions are so deep they threaten its future". Guardian. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  10. ^ Gerges, Fawaz (2016). Contentious Politics in the Middle East. Springer. p. 299.
  11. ^ Yilmaz, Gözde (2017). Minority Rights in Turkey. Taylor & Francis. p. 65.
  12. ^ "Turkish right-wing dissidents' bid to oust party leader foiled". Yahoo News. 15 May 2016.
  13. ^ Turkey Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook Volume 1 - Strategic Information and Developments. P.46. Published in July 2015 and updated annually. International Business Publications, Washington, USA. Accessed via Google books. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  14. ^ Global Turkey in Europe II. Energy, Migration, Civil Society and Citizenship Issues in Turkey-EU Relations. p.180. First published by Edizioni Nuova Cultura in 2014. Published in Rome, Italy. Accessed via Google books. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  15. ^ Turkish far right on the rise. The Independent. Author - Justin Huggler. Published 19 April 1999. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  16. ^ "AKP, MHP to press button for 'People's Alliance'". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  17. ^ "Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan AKP-MHP ittifakının ismini açıkladı: Cumhur İttifakı". Sözcü. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  18. ^ "Turkey's nationalist opposition to back Erdogan in 2019 election". Reuters. 2018-01-08. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  19. ^ "Opposition parties agree to unite against People's Alliance in upcoming Turkish elections".
  20. ^ "Turkey: Will Erdogan's power take hit after losing his biggest political ally?".
  21. ^ Göçek, Fatma Müge (2011). "The Transformation of Turkey: Redefining State and Society from the Ottoman Empire to the Modern Era". I.B. Tauris: 56. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
    Tocci, Nathalie (2012). "Turkey and the European Union". The Routledge Handbook of Modern Turkey. Routledge: 241.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ Cetinsaya, Gokhan (July–October 1999). "Rethinking Nationalism and Islam". The Muslim World. LXXIX (3–4): 374–375.
  24. ^ "Selvi'den Bomba İddia: AK Parti, MHP Dışında, SP ve BBP ile de İttifak İçin Görüşüyor". Haberler. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  25. ^ "Felicity Party leader says joining People's Alliance not on agenda". Daily Sabah. 1 March 2018.
  26. ^ "Son dakika: BBP, AK Parti listelerinden seçime girecek". HaberTürk. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  27. ^ Kockel, Ulrich (2004). Connecting Cultures. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 247.
  28. ^ "ANAP'ın ittifak tercihi 3 gün sonra fark edildi... Takipçi sayısı 270, tercihi Cumhur İttifakı".
  29. ^ Mynet. "AS Parti'den Cumhur İttifakı'na destek! - Seçim Haberleri". Mynet.com. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  30. ^ "Cumhur İttifakı'na Perinçek ve Uzan" (in Turkish). 20 December 2019.
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