1930 Turkish local elections
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
September / October 1930
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Number of Municipalities Won | |
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| CHF | 478 / 502
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| SCF | 24 / 502
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The 1930 Turkish local elections represent the inaugural multi-party electoral exercise in the history of the Republic of Turkey, conducted throughout September and October. Following the enactment of the Municipalities Law on April 4, 1930, the elections were contested by the Republican People's Party (CHF) and the newly established Liberal Republican Party (SCF).[1] In these elections, mayors were elected via a two-stage process from among and by the members of the municipal councils. A significant characteristic of these elections was the granting of suffrage and eligibility for office to women for the first time. Indeed, the law mandated that all citizens regardless of gender who had reached the age of 18 possessed the right to vote, while those aged 25 and above were eligible for election.[2] Despite having been founded only one month prior to the election, the SCF established its organization rapidly across numerous provinces; however, due to pressures exerted by state officials and CHF functionaries, it secured victory in only 24 of the 502 electoral districts. According to one source, Mustafa Kemal expressed considerable indignation regarding the SCF's victory in certain municipalities.[3] Following these elections, which indicated that a segment of the populace was dissatisfied with CHF policies, the pressure from the CHF upon the SCF intensified. Consequently, after receiving significant public support during the tumultuous Izmir rally, the SCF was dissolved by its founder, Fethi Bey, shortly after completing its third month of existence.
In Turkey, a single-party government was grappling with the political, social, and economic exigencies precipitated by the 1929 Great Depression, as well as the preceding World War I and the Turkish War of Independence.[4] Furthermore, a substantial portion of the national budget was being allocated to railway investments, and the government, facing difficulties in financing these projects, resorted to the imposition of new taxes. Conversely, there were no alternative political parties to articulate the demands and grievances of the public or to provide legal and political opposition to the government's economic policies.[5] Mustafa Kemal, emphasizing the importance of pacifying the dissatisfied segments of society, believed that the solution to Turkey's systemic problems lay in the establishment of a controlled opposition party.[6] Fethi Bey founded the SCF on August 12, 1930, following assurances from Mustafa Kemal that he would be supported under all circumstances. With the foundation of the SCF, those discontented with the single-party regime flocked to the new party.[7] Facing a constrained timeline for both organizational structuring and electoral preparation, the SCF rapidly initiated its nationwide deployment. Fethi Bey announced that he would not establish organizations in several provinces in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia to ensure that the state’s security policies—necessitated by the Sheikh Said rebellion and the Ararat rebellion—would not be compromised.[8]