Elections Summaries for POLS 168 -- Middle East Politics (Fall 2007)
| Jordanian elections | |
| Turkish elections | |
| Israeli elections | |
| Kuwaiti elections | |
| Egyptian elections | |
| Algerian elections | |
| Iranian elections | |
| Iraqi elections | |
| Palestinian election |
Parliamentary Elections
| Grouping/Party (Total Seats in Parliament) |
1989 (80) |
1993 (80) |
1997 (80) |
2003 (110) |
| Islamic Action Front (Muslim Brotherhood) | 23 | 16 | boycott | 17 |
| independent Islamists | 10 | 5 | 7 | 3 |
| Arab nationalists/left | 12 | 12 | 8 | 0 |
| independent opposition | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| pro-regime tribal/independent | 35 | 47 | 65 | 87 |
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
Parliamentary Elections
| Party |
1995 (% vote, seats) | 1999 | 2002 | 2007 |
| Democratic Left | 14.6% 76 | 22.2% 136 | 1.2% 0 | |
| Welfare/Virtue/Felicity | 21.4% 158 | 15.4% 100 | 2.5% 0 | 2.3% 0 |
| Justice and Development (AKP) | 34.2% 363 | 46.3% 341 | ||
| Motherland | 19.7% 132 | 13.2% 86 | 5.1% 0 | |
| True Path | 19.2% 135 | 12% 85 | 9.6% 0 | |
| Democratic Party | 5.4% 0 | |||
| National Action/Movement | 8.2% 0 | 18% 130 | 8.3% 0 | 14.3% 71 |
| Republican People's Party | 10.7% 49 | 8% 0 | 19.4% 178 | 20.9% 110 |
| HADEP/DTP | 4.2% 0 | 4.3% 0 | 5.0% 26 |
(parties must receive 10% of the national vote to obtain seats in parliament)
Parties
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 --
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 -- Knesset
|
Party
|
1992 | 1996 | 1999 | 2003 | 2006 |
|
Labor |
44 |
34 |
26 |
19 |
20 |
| Kadima | 29 | ||||
|
Likud |
32 |
32 |
19 |
38 |
12 |
|
Meretz |
12 |
9 |
10 |
6 |
5 |
|
National
Religious Party |
6 |
9 |
5 |
6 |
9 |
|
Shas |
6 |
10 |
17 |
11 |
12 |
|
United Torah
Judaism |
4 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
|
Yisrael
B’Aliyah |
-- |
7 |
6 |
2 |
|
|
|
-- |
4 |
-- |
-- |
|
| Pensioners' Party | 7 | ||||
|
Molodet |
3 |
2 |
--
|
-- |
|
|
Hadash
(Communist) |
3 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Arab
Democratic Party |
2 |
4 |
5 |
--
|
|
|
Tsomet |
8 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
|
Shinui |
-- |
-- |
6 |
15 |
|
|
Center Party |
-- |
-- |
6 |
-- |
|
|
National |
-- |
-- |
4 |
7 |
|
|
|
-- |
-- |
4 |
-- |
11 |
|
National
Democrat |
-- |
-- |
2 |
-- |
|
|
One Nation |
-- |
-- |
2 |
3 |
|
|
Balad |
-- |
-- |
-- |
3 |
3 |
|
United Arab
List |
-- |
-- |
-- |
2 |
3 |
Parties
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
Israel
, Our Home -- Russian immigrants
National Democratic
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).
| Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud) | 50.4% |
| Shimon Peres (Labor)* | 49.6% |
1999
| Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud)* | 43.9% |
| Ehud Barak (Labor) | 56.1% |
2001
| Ariel Sharon (Likud) | 61.7% |
| Ehud Barak (Labor)* | 32.7% |
* = 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.
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.
Parliamentary Elections
| Electoral
Bloc
|
1992 | 1996 | 1999 | 2003 | 2006 |
|
Islamic Constitutional Movement |
4 |
4 |
5 |
2 |
6 |
|
Salafi-Sunni groups |
3 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
|
National Islamic Coalition |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
|
Democratic Platform |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
Independent Islamists-Sunni |
8 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
9 |