Turkey Election

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• Türkiye’s electoral system
• Political system of Turkey

Why in news?

• The name of Turkey’s new President is unlikely to be revealed for another two weeks as the election in Turkey is headed for a run-off.
  • A run-off vote is a second round of voting that takes place when no candidate receives more than half of the presidential vote.
• Neither the incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu cleared the 50% threshold needed to avoid a second round.

Türkiye’s electoral system

• Mixed system
  • Türkiye’s electoral system is a mixed system, a combination of both proportional representation and majority voting.
    • In proportional representation the number of seats held by a political group or party in a legislative body is determined by the number of popular votes received.
  • A majority vote is valid for the presidential election and it simply means obtaining more than half of the national vote share.
• The two-ballot system
  • One is to elect a president. And the other is meant for voting members of Parliament from each electoral district.
• The threshold requirement
  • According to a new election law passed in April 2022, to enter parliament, a political party must receive a minimum of 7 percent of the national vote.
  • The law permits the formation of alliances between different political parties. 
  • Therefore, any party may be able to secure a seat in parliament if they form an alliance that collectively receives over 7 percent of the vote across any district in Türkiye.
• Choosing the president
  • Turkish citizens elect their president separately from the parliament, using a two-round majority system. 
  • If no candidate wins a majority of votes in the first round, the top two candidates compete in a second round of voting where one candidate should get more than 50 percent to be elected.
• Frequency of election
  • Turkey holds simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections every five years.

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Political system of Turkey

• Turkey transitioned from a parliamentary to a presidential system in July 2018, a month after Erdogan won the presidential election.
• The powers of the president were broadened after a 2017 referendum approving the change to an executive presidency.
• The post of prime minister was abolished and the president also became the head of government.
• In the new system, voters elect the president directly.

Q1) What is Presidential system?

A presidential system is a form of government in which a president serves as the head of state and the head of government. In this system, the president is elected directly by the people or through an electoral college for a fixed term and holds significant executive powers.
 

Q2) What is mixed electoral system?

A mixed electoral system, also known as a hybrid electoral system, combines elements of both proportional representation (PR) and plurality/majoritarian systems. It is a method of allocating seats in a legislative body that aims to strike a balance between proportional representation and geographic representation.

Source: Why is Turkey likely to hold a second election on May 28 to elect its President? | Aljazeera | TRTWorld