Turkish Parliament Committee Adopts Bill Lowering Electoral Threshold To 7%

The constitutional committee of the Turkish Parliament has adopted a bill lowering the electoral threshold for parties from 10% to 7%, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Thursday

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2022) The constitutional committee of the Turkish Parliament has adopted a bill lowering the electoral threshold for parties from 10% to 7%, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Thursday.

The bill was submitted by the Turkish People's Alliance (an electoral alliance established between the ruling Justice and Development Party and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party), according to the ruling party's deputy chairman Hayati Yazici.

The parliamentary constitutional committee spent a total of 17 hours discussing the draft bill before adopting it.

Under current rules introduced after the 1980 coup, parties in Turkey must garner 10% of the vote nationwide to enter parliament, which is estimated to be the highest threshold in Europe.

A lower threshold will allow smaller parties to participate in elections without necessarily joining alliances, experts predict.

Recent studies show that high inflation and the depreciation of the Turkish lira have seriously undermined incomes, especially for middle-class workers who constitute the ruling party's electoral base. Despite repeated calls from opposition parties for early elections, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that presidential and parliamentary elections will take place as scheduled in June 2023.