The Country in Crisis

The 1970s was a decade of great instability and political upheaval in Turkey. The urbanization of a largely agrarian society loosened the social ties that had regulated behavior. In addition, triple-digit inflation, industrial production operating at only partial capacity, and an inability to meet interest payments on foreign loans in the wake of the 1973 energy crisis, wreaked havoc on the economy. In response, politicians spouted simplistic ideological solutions to complex problems. Political parties functioned more as vehicles to create personality cults than as organizations to promote specific policy to address deep-seated problems.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was a mass rally organized by the Islamist National Salvation Party (NSP) in which party officials called for the reintroduction of Islamic law. By this point in September 1980, there was a well-founded fear the country might be plunged into civil war. Referred to as a “state of anarchy,” acts of domestic terrorism were perpetuated by both leftist and rightist militants.

Enter the military under Kenan Evren, which dissolved the government and parliament. Evren, who was elected president, outlawed political parties and banned their leaders from political activity for up to ten years. The parties, however, reappeared under new names and established the precedent whereby banned parties are simply reconstituted. To prevent a proliferation of parties, the 1982 Constitution stipulated that any party receiving less than 10% of the national vote would not be represented in parliament. It also vested more power in the president at the expense of parliament.