ABSTRACT
The Turkish Political Parties Law, adopted in 1983 by the then-ruling military regime, is probably the most detailed one of its kind in the whole of Europe. It contains not only party prohibitions but also exceedingly detailed regulations on party organisation, registration, membership, nominations, discipline and party fi nance. Consequently, all Turkish parties have very similar organisational structures imposed upon them by the Law. Thus, at all levels, chairpersons and the executive committees are elected by their respective congresses composed of delegates chosen by registered members. The central organs are the Grand (General) Congress, party president (leader), the central executive committee and the central disciplinary committee. The Grand Congress is the highest decision-making body; it elects the party president, the central executive committee and the central disciplinary committee. Local organisations consist of province, sub-province (county) and municipality organisations (all settlements with a minimum of 2,000 inhabitants are entitled to have a municipal organisation). The law does not permit party organisation below the sub-province or municipality level. Thus, there are no legal organisational units at the village or urban neighbourhood level. However, parties usually get around this prohibition by appointing informal party representatives or even representative committees at the village or urban neighbourhood levels. At the province and sub-province levels, party chairpersons and the executive committees are elected, respectively, by the province and sub-province congresses.
