Factors in the Transformation of Party Systems: The Cases of Turkey and Spain

Celal Oral Özdemir

Article Details

Factors in the Transformation of Party Systems: The Cases of Turkey and Spain

Authors:

Celal Oral Özdemir

Publisher:

Ankara University

Main Topics:

Karşılaştırmalı Siyasi Kurumlar

Journal:

Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Dergisi Vol.80 Issue 3, pp.443-468

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

10/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358081

pISSN:

0378-2921

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Turkey and Spain started the last quarter of the 20th century with new constitutions and new electoral systems. In both countries, legislators made some legal arrangements to centralise the political system based on the thesis that electoral systems can shape party systems. In both countries, legislators made some legal arrangements to centralise the political system based on the thesis that electoral systems can shape party systems, and for a while, election results emerged in line with these objectives. Thus, the thesis that electoral systems transform party systems, also known as Duvergers law in the literature, was confirmed for a while. However, although electoral systems did not change in the following periods in both countries, transformations in party systems were observed. In this study, it is accepted that changes in electoral systems can directly and rapidly change the party system, and it is argued that party systems can change without changing electoral systems for sociocultural and political economy reasons. This claim is discussed through the examples of Turkey and Spain, where ethnocultural and ethnoreligious movements have changed party systems in times of economic crisis without the need for electoral laws.

 Turkey and Spain started the last quarter of the 20th century with new constitutions and new electoral systems. In both countries, legislators made some legal arrangements to centralise the political system based on the thesis that electoral systems can shape party systems. In both countries, legislators made some legal arrangements to centralise the political system based on the thesis that electoral systems can shape party systems, and for a while, election results emerged in line with these objectives. Thus, the thesis that electoral systems transform party systems, also known as Duvergers law in the literature, was confirmed for a while. However, although electoral systems did not change in the following periods in both countries, transformations in party systems were observed. In this study, it is accepted that changes in electoral systems can directly and rapidly change the party system, and it is argued that party systems can change without changing electoral systems for sociocultural and political economy reasons. This claim is discussed through the examples of Turkey and Spain, where ethnocultural and ethnoreligious movements have changed party systems in times of economic crisis without the need for electoral laws.

 Turkey and Spain started the last quarter of the 20th century with new constitutions and new electoral systems. In both countries, legislators made some legal arrangements to centralise the political system based on the thesis that electoral systems can shape party systems. In both countries, legislators made some legal arrangements to centralise the political system based on the thesis that electoral systems can shape party systems, and for a while, election results emerged in line with these objectives. Thus, the thesis that electoral systems transform party systems, also known as Duvergers law in the literature, was confirmed for a while. However, although electoral systems did not change in the following periods in both countries, transformations in party systems were observed. In this study, it is accepted that changes in electoral systems can directly and rapidly change the party system, and it is argued that party systems can change without changing electoral systems for sociocultural and political economy reasons. This claim is discussed through the examples of Turkey and Spain, where ethnocultural and ethnoreligious movements have changed party systems in times of economic crisis without the need for electoral laws.

 Türkiye ve İspanya, 20. yüzyılın son çeyreğine yeni anayasalar ve yeni seçim sistemlerini kabul ederek girmiştir. İki ülkede de yasa yapıcılar, seçim sistemlerinin parti sistemlerini şekillendirebileceği tezinden hareketle siyasal sistemi merkezde toplamaya dönük bazı yasal düzenlemeler yapmışlar ve bir süre boyunca bu hedefleriyle uyumlu seçim sonuçları ortaya çıkmıştır. Böylece literatürde Duverger yasası olarak bilinen seçim sistemlerinin parti sistemlerini dönüştürdüğü tezi bir süreliğine doğrulanmıştır. Ancak iki ülkede de sonraki dönemlerde seçim sistemleri dönüşmese dahi parti sistemlerinde dönüşümlerin olduğu görülmüştür. Bu çalışmada, bu gerçeklikten hareketle seçim sistemlerinde yapılan değişikliklerin parti sistemini doğrudan ve hızlı biçimde değiştirebileceği kabul edilerek, sosyokültürel ve ekonomipolitik sebeplerle seçim sistemleri değiştirmeden de parti sistemlerinin değişebileceği iddia edilmektedir. Bu iddia Türkiye ve İspanya örneklerinde var olan etnokültürel ve etnodinsel hareketlerin ekonomik kriz anlarında seçim yasalarına ihtiyaç olmaksızın parti sistemlerini değiştirmesi üzerinden tartışılmaktadır.

Article Details

Factors in the Transformation of Party Systems: The Cases of Turkey and Spain

Authors:

Celal Oral Özdemir

Publisher:

Ankara University

Main Topics:

Karşılaştırmalı Siyasi Kurumlar

Journal:

Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Dergisi Vol.80 Issue 3, pp.443-468

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

10/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358081

pISSN:

0378-2921

Party system

Spain

Türkiye

Ethnocultural

(Ethno) ReligiousParti sistemi

İspanya

Türkiye

Etnokültürel

(Etno) Dinsel

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Celal Oral Özdemir

Publisher: Ankara University

Main Topics: Karşılaştırmalı Siyasi Kurumlar

Journal: Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Dergisi Vol.80 Issue 3, pp.443-468

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 10/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001358081

pISSN: 0378-2921

Issues

Authors:

Celal Oral Özdemir

Publisher:

Ankara University

Main Topics:

Karşılaştırmalı Siyasi Kurumlar

Journal:

Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Dergisi Vol.80 Issue 3, pp.443-468

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

10/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358081

pISSN:

0378-2921