While the people of Turkey have been struggling with the pandemic, calls for an early election continue to arrive. Statements on an early election are voiced at every opportunity, but open discussions on the electoral system are not conducted by anyone. However, it has been known by the public for a long time that the ruling AKP is making preparations for the electoral system.
Pointing out that the universal suffrage and electoral system cannot be abstracted from economic, political, and class relations and the social order that emerged with these relations, TKP drew attention to the fact that elections lose their importance as politics narrowed to elections.
The unlawfulness that is repeated in every election, especially in the last local elections, shows that universal suffrage cannot be defended with the current electoral system.
While some circles call for early elections in Turkey, the Communist Party of Turkey offered a report to the public, "On General Suffrage and Electoral System”.
The report assesses Turkey’s electoral system, pointing out what is to be done for the defense of universal suffrage.
The first part of the report reveals the relationship between the electoral system and universal suffrage. The second part, "On Turkey’s Electoral System", evaluates the functioning of the electoral system, the persistence of injustice applications in the elections, and questions the disputable practices of the single-member district system and the other models.
In the report, which also seeks an answer to the question "What kind of an electoral system?", the demands regarding the electoral system are listed:
1. Elections should be based on truly open, transparent, and auditable mechanisms. The direct participation of the people in elections is as important as the direct representation in the electoral system. The broadest participation of the masses, almost without exception, is the most critical goal.
2. Equal and open opportunities should be provided for every candidate and party to promote itself. All election costs must be met by the state.
3. The right to recall elected ones should be implemented as an effective control mechanism. The voters' right to recall elected representatives will not only function as a control mechanism but also as a reassuring mechanism for all citizens.
4. The control of electoral systems should be removed from a single institution, effective participation of the public should be ensured.
5. The unfair electoral system should be abandoned, and trusteeship practice must be prohibited.
6. A system based on proportional representation should be based on aiming at ensuring representational justice, lifting the electoral threshold.
