ABSTRACT
The 1965 and 1969 general elections are convenient landmarks in recent Turkish politics. In both instances, relative stability was ensured by the success of a one-party cabinet based on a parliamentary majority. Despite some friction within the majority party and the resulting crises and near-crises, its hold on the centres of political power remained comparatively secure. This contrasted sharply with the situation in the years immediately preceding the 1965 election, when short-lived coalition cabinets had ruled uneasily, since the 1961 elections had given no single party an absolute majority. 1
