Elections Summaries for POLS 168 -- Middle East Politics (Fall 2007)

Jordanian elections

Parliamentary Elections  

Chronology

November 2007:  Parliamentary elections scheduled.

June 2003: After three postponements, parliamentary elections. Official turnout – 58.8% Number of seats in the parliament increased to 110 from 80, including 6 reserved seats for women (if no women win, as none did in this election, the six women with the highest percentage of the vote among all the women running in all districts get the seats), 9 for Christians, 3 for Circassians. Islamist candidates tended to run first in their districts, particularly in Amman and the north.

June 2001: King Abdallah II dissolves parliament at end of its four-year term in preparation for new elections, which are then postponed

February 1999: King Hussein dies, succeeded by King Abdallah II

November 1997: Parliamentary elections, boycotted by Islamic Action Front -- turnout 44%

September 1997: Revision of liberal Press Law, 13 opposition newspapers shut down

October 1994: Jordan-Israel peace treaty

November 1993: Parliamentary elections -- 52% turnout

August 1993: Election law changed by cabinet decree, from multiple votes per voter (as many as there were seats alloted to the district) to one vote per voter. Aimed at reducing the Islamist groups strength in parliament.

1992: Political parties legalized

June 1991: "National Charter" setting rules of Jordanian electoral experiment

November 1989: Parliamentary elections -- 41% turnout

April 1989: Austerity measures trigger rioting in southern Jordan; King

Turkish elections

(parties must receive 10% of the national vote to obtain seats in parliament)

Parties

(left = came out of socialist camp in Turkish politics in 1970's, though none of the left parties are doctrinaire socialist now; right = came out of conservative camp in Turkish politics in 1970's, now more identified with free market policies; secular = supportive of Ataturk legacy of complete separation of religion and politics; Islamist = opposed to Ataturk legacy of complete separation of religion and politics)

Democratic Left -- left, secular
Republican People's -- left, secular
Motherland -- right, secular
True Path -- right, secular
Democratic Party -- merger of the Motherland and True Path parties in 2007
National Action -- right, very nationalist, but sympathetic toward Islam (renamed National Movement in 2007)
Welfare/Virtue/Felicity -- Islamist
Justice and Development (AKP) – reformist/Islamist
HADEP -- pro-Kurdish
DTP -- Democratic Society Party – pro-Kurdish running as independents in 2007

Governments

August 2007:  AKP forms a single-party government; Erdogan remains at Prime Minister

November 2002:  AKP forms a single-party government; for a few months Abdallah Gul as Prime Minister, then AKP leader Recep Tayyib Erdogan as Prime Minister

June 1999: PM Bulent Ecevit of Democratic Left forms a government with Democratic Left, National Action and Motherland parties

February 1999: Capture of Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan.

January 1999: Bulent Ecevit of Democratic Left named Prime Minister of a caretaker government to prepare for April 1999 elections.

January 1998: Constitutional Court disbands Welfare Party on grounds that it is a religious party, bans Erbekan from political life. Party reorganizes under name Virtue party.

June 1997: Army forces Erbekan to resign as Prime Minister. Mesut Yilmaz named PM, forms government with his Motherland party, Democratic Left and Republican People's parties.

June 1996: PM Necmettin Erbekan of Welfare forms government with True Path. First Islamist PM in Turkish history.

June 1996: Mesut Yilmaz resigns as PM as True Path leaves coalition.

1995: PM Mesut Yilmaz of Motherland forms a government with True Path.

Israeli elections

Israeli Elections -- Knesset

 
Parties

(left = willing to consider territorial compromise; right = unwilling to consider territorial compromise; religious = strongly committed to application of Jewish law and government support for religious institutions; Ashzenazi = Israelis of European descent; Sephardi = Israelis of Middle Eastern descent; secularist = opposed to strong religious influence in government)

Labor  -- center-left
Kadima -- center-right party formed by Ariel Sharon over split in Likud over unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005
Likud -- center-right
Meretz -- left
National Religious Party -- religious-Ashkenazi, right, strong settler representation  
Shas -- religious-Sephardi, no strong position on territorial issue
United Torah Judaism -- religious-Ashkenazi, no strong position on territorial issue
Yisrael B'Aliyah -- Russian immigrants party
Third Way -- center
Moledet -- strong right, banned as rascist party by Israeli Supreme Court before 1999 elections  
Hadash (Communist) -- Jewish-Arab constituency, outgrowth of old Communist party, heavy Arab vote    
Arab Democratic Party -- Arab
Tsomet -- strong right 
Shinui -- strongly secularist                        
Center Party -- center, leaders broke away from Likud before 1999 elections 
National Union – strongly righ
Israel , Our Home -- Russian immigrants  
National Democratic Alliance -- Arab
One Nation -- center
Balad – Arab party headed by Azmi Bishara, break-off of Arab Democratic Party

Israeli Elections -- Prime Minister (after the 1992 election, constitutional changes occurred in Israel that made the Prime Minister directly elected by popular vote, rather than by the Knesset.  After the 2001 election for prime minister, this system was dropped, and prime minister was once again elected by the Knesset).

1996

 
1999

2001

  *  = incumbent

Governments

March 2006-present:  Kadima-led government under PM Ehud Olmert, includes Labor, Shas and Pensioners' Party.

2005-06:  Kadima-led government with Labor, under PM Ariel Sharon, after split in Likud over Sharon plan for unilateral withdrawal from Gaza.

2003-05:  Likud-led government under PM Ariel Sharon.  Parties include Likud, Shinui, National Religious Party, National Union Party.

2001-03:  Coalition government under PM Ariel Sharon.  Parties included Likud, Labor, Shas, a number of smaller parties.

1999-2001:  Labor-led government under PM Ehud Barak.  Parties included Labor, Meretz, Shas, Yisrael B'Aliyah, Center, National Religious Party.

1996-99:  Likud-led government under PM Binyamin Netanyahu.  Parties included Likud, National Religious Party, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Yisrael B'Aliyah.

1992-96:  Labor-led government under PM Yitzhak Rabin (until his assassination in 1995) and Shimon Peres (until 1996 elections).  Parties included Labor, Meretz, Shas, United Torah Judaism.

Kuwaiti Elections

Parliamentary Elections