Parliamentary oppositions in Turkey: oppositional trends of parlimentary parties (1960-1980)

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to reveal the main policy tendencies held by the opposition parties of the TGNA between the period 1960 and 1980. Especially due to the unfavorable political culture and legal structure of Turkish politics, the political parties of the pre-1960 employed a regime- oriented tendency for the further liberalization of the political system. The program-based competition of the opposition behavior started only after the establishment of a liberal political system which was introduced by the authorities of the military intervention of 1960. In this framework, the increase and eventual decrease of the program-based opposition, in terms of the policy formulation attempts of the parliamentary political parties was discussed. In this study, it is also intended to determine the factors stemming from the nature of political parties or political system, including party system. Constitutional structure, electoral law, parliamentary procedures, which are influential in determining the opposition behavior in Turkish politics.