Elections in Türkiye
The Constitution of Türkiye (1982, as amended) defines the country’s electoral framework. Following the constitutional amendments approved in the referendum of 16 April 2017, which entered into force after the elections of 24 June 2018, Türkiye transitioned from a parliamentary system to an executive presidential system.
Elections are held according to a proportional representation system in a single stage. They adhere to the principles of general, equal, secret, and direct voting, with universal suffrage and the public counting and tallying of votes (Constitution, Art. 67). All elections are administered and supervised by the Supreme Election Council (Yüksek Seçim Kurulu, YSK).
How the system works
Parliamentary and presidential elections are held on the same day every five years. Voters cast two ballots: one for President and one for a closed party list in their electoral district. Seats in the Grand National Assembly are distributed by the D’Hondt method among parties that clear a 7 % nationwide threshold (lowered from 10 % by Law No. 7393 in 2022). The President is elected by an absolute majority of valid votes, with a runoff between the top two candidates if no one reaches a majority in the first round.
| Parameter | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| National parliamentary threshold | 7 % | Law No. 2839, as amended by Law No. 7393 (2022) |
| Seat allocation method | D’Hondt | Law No. 2839, Art. 33 |
| Number of parliamentary seats | 600 | Constitution, Art. 75 (post-2017) |
| Term of office | 5 years (concurrent) | Constitution, Arts. 77, 101 |
| Voting age | 18 | Constitution, Art. 67 |
| Candidate eligibility age | 18 (deputies); 40 (President) | Constitution, Arts. 76, 101 |
| Electoral districts (2023 election) | 87 | YSK Decision 2023/224 |
Government structure at a glance
Legislative
The unicameral Grand National Assembly (TBMM): 600 deputies, five-year term, concurrent with the presidential election.
Executive
The President is Head of State and the sole holder of executive authority, supported by Vice Presidents and a Cabinet appointed without a vote of confidence.
Judicial
An independent judiciary divided into civil/criminal and administrative branches, supervised by the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK).
Higher Courts
Anayasa Mahkemesi, Yargıtay, Danıştay, Uyuşmazlık Mahkemesi, Sayıştay: the supreme bodies of Turkish law.
YSK
The Supreme Election Council, the high-judicial body that runs every election and certifies the results.
Parties & Voting
The constitutional framework for parties, voting rights, financing, and the Constitutional Court’s audit role.
Where the Assembly stands now
The last general election was held on 14 May 2023, and the next is due in 2028. A parliament can be reshaped between elections, though, and this one was: on 24 July 2026, 91 deputies resigned from the Republican People’s Party and founded Yeni Parti, which entered the chamber as the second-largest group while the CHP dropped to fifth. No vote was held. The current seat table, taken from the Assembly’s own register, is on the Political Parties page.
Pages that cite live figures (current cabinet, party chairs, parliamentary seat distribution) are stamped with an “as of” date. The institutional and legal framework described elsewhere is stable and changes only with constitutional or statutory amendments.