In order to offer a third option apart from "sharia" or "a military coup", NGOs and political parties of the left had joined forces in order to send candidates to parliament. No one party is strong enough to overcome the 10% electoral hurdle, but independent candidates only need enough votes in their own constituency to be elected.
The pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) was the first to announce that it would field independent candidates in the east and south-east of Turkey, where its powerbase lies. Here the DTP and its predecessor parties have long received well over 30% of the votes, but have never been able to overcome the national 10% barrier.
The DTP has claimed that it would support other groups from the left in supporting four shared independent candidates in Western cities, Istanbul, Adana and Izmir with its considerable "Kurdish vote".
Seven names have emerged
So far, seven candidates have emerged as possible common candidates in Turkey, the last one a woman.
They are the former president of the Istanbul Bar Association, Yücel Sayman, the General President of the Alevi Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association, Kazim Genc, the former President of the Human Rights Association, Akin Birdal, the General President of the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP), Ufak Uras, the General President of the Labour Party (EMEP), Levent Tüzel, the outspoken academic Prof. Baskin Oran, and the General President of the Socialist Democratic Party (SDP), Filiz Kocaeli.
It is not clear yet, whether politicians would have to resign from their party positions to become independent candidates.
What do the people think?
A bianet survey of public opinion in the Besiktas fish market in central Istanbul yesterday revealed that the greatest concern is economic stability. Minibus driver İshak says that the single party Justice and Development Party (AKP) government of the last four years has brought stability after the many fragile coalitions of previous years. A passenger in the bus, Ömer, disagreed strongly: "The AKP has brought us down", he said, giving petrol prices as an example.
In the Besiktas fishmarket, our bianet reporter spoke to fig-seller Yasariye, who said that neither a single-party government nor a coalition gave her hope.
Turbot prices stable
Fish-seller Ali measured economic stability according to the price of fish. For two years, turbot has sold for 20 YTL, a result, he thinks, of a single-party government. However, he wants this stability controlled by someone like President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
His customer Ömer thought that the electoral hurdle of 10 percent needed to be lowered and did not think that a single party brought stability.
Different opinions
Unemployed Ahmet said that he would probably not vote, adding that stability depended mostly on the USA and the Association of Turkish Industrialists and Business People (TÜSIAD).
Retired Veysel, who was waiting to pray at the Besiktas mosque, said that he had seen many single-party governments, but that they had all disappointed him. He would like to see a coalition so that different parts of society were represented.
Herb-seller Aysun Sönmez measured stability in terms of public transport prices, and she did not think that the AKP government had helped. She wanted to see young people in parliament and will vote for the People's Democratic Party (CHP). (AÖ/EÜ/AG/EÜ)
