Editorial: Turkish politics
20 May 1946
The rulers of Turkey have always paid lip-service to Kemal [Atatürk]’s idea of “continuous evolution” towards democracy. At a special congress on 10 May the Republican People’s party, which has been in power since 1923, took positive steps to loosen the political structure of the country in time for the elections, which are technically due next spring. It announced the introduction of direct voting and the cancellation of restrictions which prevent the formulation of parties on a class or professional basis.
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Quiet election in Turkey
22 July 1946
Istanbul, 21 July
Turkey’s first democratic general election to-day passed off quietly. The new National Assembly, chosen by universal suffrage and secret ballot for the first time, will include an opposition to the Republican People’s Party, hitherto the only authorised party.
It is certain that the Republican People’s Party, which was formed by Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, will secure a strong majority, but the five opposition parties are expected to win 125 to 150 seats out of a total of 465.
The Democrat party, the strongest opposition party, contested 46 of Turkey’s 63 provinces with a list of 272 candidates. In the remaining 17 provinces the Republican People’s Party was not challenged. The main support for the Democrat party is in the trading towns of the Black Sea and Aegean Sea coasts, which want greater economic freedom and more liberal institutions to promote prosperity. The full results will not be known until Wednesday. The sale of alcoholic drinks was prohibited during the polling.
Editorial: As we were
26 July 1946
The Turkish Republican People’s Party has emerged from the ordeal of a general election with its forces in good order and more or less intact. Not that the ordeal was in any way severe: the government’s radio forecast the result (and its own big majority) with considerable accuracy, and, the prevailing note in all its pre-election broadcasts was the success of the new direct ballot system rather than its results. For this success it was only necessary for the Turkish people to do their duty, and President İnönü and his followers made sure that they knew where their duty lay.
Of the five opposition parties only one, Mr Celâl Bayar’s Democrat party, achieved any success, and they have already threatened to resign their 64 seats on the grounds that the elections were rigged. The venerable Marshal Çakmak gained a seat as an independent in Istanbul. Of the National Regeneration party, the Social Democrats, the Liberal Democrats, and the Peasants’ and Workers’ party, little has been said. It may be that some of them, if they were strong enough, might form a more convincing opposition than Mr Bayar’s party. As it is, there is only one home and foreign policy in Turkey, and that is the government’s. The government was determined to carry it out, but felt the need to answer its critics at home and abroad. The elections have provided it with an answer.
