Nation Alliance (Turkey)

The Nation Alliance ( tr, Millet İttifakı), or simply Nation ( tr, Millet), is an electoral alliance in Turkey made up of some of the major Turkish opposition parties that was established following the country’s 2017 constitutional referendum to contest under a common banner in the country's 2018 general-presidential election, later for the 2019 local elections, and presently for the upcoming 2023 presidential and general-parliamentary elections in June. The alliance itself officially takes a big-tent approach in politics to represent the supportive bases of all parties within the alliance; although setting the return to an enhanced and strengthened parliamentary system, the full guarantee of rule of law, separation of powers and human rights within the country as their main and in-common agenda.

The alliance was officially established on 1 May 2018 with 4 parties officially signing and declaring their joint-collaboration (though with the ''Democrat Party'' fully joining later), and today still consists of those four opposition parties; namely being of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the Good Party (İYİ), the Felicity Party (SP-SADT), and the Democrat Party (DP). Thus the alliance, which the main Turkish opposition party CHP is apart of, is considered to be the leading and dominant political opposition force in the country for housing the majority of the oppositional voters and their political preferences.

During the 2018 elections, these constituent parties of the alliance contested under a common banner for the parliamentary and general election, while for the presidential election each individual party nominated its own candidate. Though, the parties stated beforehand that they would support the main leading alliance candidate; Muharrem İnce, if the 2018 presidential election was proponed for a head-to-head second round.

The alliance politically stands as the main opposition force against the governmental alliance; the People's Alliance in parliament, which was established on 20 February 2018 with the collaboration of the ruling AKP, and mainly former-opposition party; MHP.

History & background

Events leading to formation

A constitutional referendum was to be held in the April of 2017, regarding the complete transformation of the political system of Turkey from a parliamentary one, into a presidential one. The referendum was campaigned and sponsored by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the smaller oppositional Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who would later become in-complete support of the AKP government following the referendum, and some more pro-government groups and media.

The constitutional referendum ultimately passed with a narrow margin of 2-3% on a 85% voter turnout, effectively triggering the country's systemic transition. Meanwhile the main opposition, the Republican People's Party, along with MHP now-dissidents such as Meral Akşener who would go onto establishing the Good Party, voiced strong opposition to the constitutional amendments which were deemed undemocratic, autocratic and seen as a threat to rule of law, democracy and separation of powers within the country.

When the new collaborative AKP-MHP government legalized the formation of pre-election alliances in order to contest the 2018 elections together, which was previously limited, speculation arose over the possibility of opposition groups also establishing an alliance. After several sets of talks, the CHP announced on 1 May 2018 the formation of its alliance with Akşener's new Good Party, as well as with the extraparliamentary Felicity and Democrat parties. As a result, the CHP transferred 15 MPs to the newly established Good Party as early parliamentary support before the elections, with smaller transfers taking place for the other two parties within the alliance, again as political support before the 2018 elections took place.

Aftermath of formation

After forming against the backdrop of the 2017 constitutional referendum and the subsequent events and constitutional amendments implemented following it, the alliance had brought together most groups with many differing ideologies that had campaigned for a ''"No"'' vote against the transition into a presidential system during the referendum, and those who were already in opposition to the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan under a common and unifying banner. As a result; the alliance’s supportive bases were viewed as being spread out across many differing political views and ideologies, though unifying under the common thought against and of anti-Erdoğanism and parliamentarism, as that thought still makes up the fundamental and unifying foundation of the alliance even today.

On 4 July, following the alliance winning 189 seats out of the 600 in total after the 2018 elections, the Good Party General Secretary Aytun Çıray announced that the Nation Alliance at that point had been partially dissolved, citing the lack of a need for a post-election alliance. In response, the CHP's spokesperson Bülent Tezcan expressed that the electoral alliance was no longer technically necessary, but that the unity of the member alliance parties under and in-supporting of a joint set of democratic fundamental values such as separation of powers, parliamentarism, rule of law and human rights within Turkey were necessary and as such would continue.

Though, during the 2019 local elections the alliance came together once again with prominence and achieved overwhelming success, such as winning 6 out of the 7 largest mayoral municipalities, one being İstanbul whom had been under the rule of conservative parties for over 20 years, just also as capitol Ankara.

After these results, the electoral alliance this time took a less-temporary lasting stance as an electoral alliance, but rather with an idea for a wider and more-covering stance as a big tent political alliance, aiming to unify the dissident Turkish population until the future 2023-24 elections and possibly establish ground for a coalition government in the future.

Present

The alliance today holds a large portion of support across Turkey, as it covers the significant majority of the oppositional voters within the country, with the big-tent approach by the alliance also helping it gain support from more religious and socio-conservative groups within the country.

Most opinion polls and electoral projections which took place between mid-2021 and 2022 indicated that the alliance has become the dominant political force within the public in the country, and possibly the next majority-government of the country in the upcoming 2023 elections if the alliance continues until then.

The alliance expanding its big-tent approach (such as having the Islamist SP as a member, and approaching the AKP-split DEVA and Future parties, and pluralist HDP) has also gained much more prominence over the past 2 years, being seen as a way for the alliance opening up to voters such as greater conservatives, undecided Kurds and ex-AKP/MHP voters.

The six-party collaboration

Following the formation of a “six-party table” (''“''Table of Six”), and a set of still ongoing joint-meetings hosted between alliance members and the non-members of DEVA and Future parties regarding collaborative work on creating a new constitution and reversion onto a new parliamentary system, the speculations and idea of an “expanded Nation Alliance” arose within the media and public as a result.

The “Table of Six”

As part of their ongoing 6-party joint collaborative meetings under the name of th
“Table of Six”
( tr, Altılı Masa) with alliance members İYİ, CHP, SP, DP, but also together with none-members such as the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) and Future (GELECEK) Party; the table is working on a newly proposed ''“''enhanced and strengthened''”'' parliamentary system modeled after other parliamentary European democracies, being deemed more democratic and stable from the previous parliamentary system of Turkey, including a new constitution guaranteeing the mentioned fundamentals and beyond.

The table is also expected to decide on the alliance’s (and possibly all oppositions’) joint candidate for the 2023 presidential election under joint-support, arising speculations that the DEVA and Future parties may join the alliance during this electoral period.

Goals and views

The main premise and goal of both the alliance and six-party group is to transform Turkey’s presidential system back into a newly modeled parliamentary system, and establish a new constitution that guarantees the fundamental; separation of powers, rule of law, democracy and human rights such as freedom of speech within the country, which all are considered to have been under significant suppression ever since the AKP took governmental power in 2003. The parties within the alliance and table all have separate manifestos, economic recovery plans, proposed projects and diplomatic approaches, though still generally work collaboratively on issues regarding most of these fields.

Stance on the European Union & accession

The alliance and the table, even though housing conservative parties (''Future'' and ''SP''), overwhelmingly stands in-favor of greater European integration and EU membership in a whole, thus also aiming to establish and set the required legal-basis and political grounds for compliance as such with the Copenhagen criteria for Turkey’s accession into the European union-partnership. Turkey’s candidate status, and accession process has been halted since 2018.

Stance on NATO

Although the general alliance and table supports Turkey’s position within NATO, and pushes for further and greater cooperation with other member states politically, economically and militarily, it also supports the country’s already present both neutral/mediative and supportive stance in the Ukrainian-Russian war, and believes that Turkey should be reintegrated into the F35 program while making use of the defensive weapons (such as the S400) bought from and provided by Russia. The parties occasionally criticize the support of some allied NATO member-states for the PKK, YPG and other armed militant groups in-conflict with the country that are based in the Middle East, even though they are officially and legally designated as terrorist groups by both the EU and NATO.

Membership & supporting groups

Members and political affiliations

Extra-parliamentary support (Table of Six)

Support during the 2018-2019 elections

In 2018, the presidential candidate of the alliance’s largest party CHP, Muharrem İnce, was supported by minor parties such as the national-conservative YP (Homeland), liberal ANAP(Motherland), alongside the feminist KP (Women’s Party) and 8 more minor parties, while Meral Akşener’s candidacy was supported by that of the DSP and DYP.

The 3rd largest opposition party, minority-rights based Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) supported the Nation Alliance in many provinces during the 2019 local elections, most significantly during the Istanbul election, though took a generally neutral stance for all elections throughout this period. The party collaborated with the Nation Alliance’s mayoral candidates in many cities, but still put out many of its own candidates in other parts of country. The HDP would go on to forming its own electoral alliance with other left-wing parties in mid-2022; the Labour and Freedom Alliance ( tr, Emek ve Özgürlük İttifakı). The HDP also stated that they would support the alliance’s joint candidate even in the first round of the 2023 presidential election, if “their presidential candidate’s profile fits into those political standards of the HDP voter.”.

On 18 May 2021, the Democratic Left Party (DSP) also stated that they would fully support and stand with the Nation Alliance, though not seek membership.

Support from the DEVA & Future parties

The alliance is supported by both parties as they are collaboratively working together without membership, and are seen as potential future members.

Electoral history/results

General-parliamentary elections

Local elections

Notes

References

{{Electoral alliances in Turkey

Political party alliances in Turkey
Political parties in Turkey
2018 disestablishments in Turkey
2018 establishments in Turkey
Political parties established in 2018
Democrat Party (Turkey, current)
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
2023 Turkish presidential election
2023 Turkish general election