Being elected as an independent in a party environment 1

Since the transition to political competition between 1946–50 and the transfer of power to an opposition party in the elections of 1950, Turkish politics have looked like predominantly party politics. As other chapters in this book make amply clear, however, political parties constitute the formal framework within which primordial and other informal networks and groups as well as formal associations and organizations compete and cooperate to influence the process of “authoritative allocation of resources.” ² In addition to the formal organization of the party, these networks link the citizen to the collective decision-making processes in society.