The 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum 'No' campaign (Turkish: Hayır) refers to a collection of unsuccessful political campaigns led by political parties, organizations and media outlets in favour of a 'No' vote in the 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum. Were the campaign to have been successful, it would have resulted in Turkey remaining a parliamentary republic as opposed to an executive presidency, which it became as a result of the referendum, and would have constituted the first direct upset against the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) since they took office in 2002.
'No' campaigners faced alleged government-backed coercion and suppression. On 1 March, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) unveiled a 78-point report regarding irregularities and suppression of 'No' campaigners, with Deputy Leader Öztürk Yılmaz claiming that those who were campaigning for a 'No' vote faced fear and state coercion. CHP parliamentary group leader Engin Altay also criticized the government for using state funds to fund the 'Yes' campaign while repressing 'No' voters, claiming that their conduct did not allow them to talk of 'democracy'.
A 'No' vote was supported by the main opposition party, CHP, and the smaller opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). Over 40 smaller political parties were also in favour of a 'No' vote, as well as a significant number of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) politicians and voters who opposed their leader President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call for a 'Yes' vote. The main rival to the 'No' campaign, which did not have a centralized or united structure, was the 'Yes' campaign.
The 'No' option on the ballot paper used for the referendum was coloured in a .
Supporters Political parties The following political parties supported a 'No' vote in 2017: PartyLeaderPolitical orientationRef. CHP Republican People's Party Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu Kemalism MHP Nationalist Movement Party inner-party factions Collective leadership Nationalism HDP Peoples' Democratic Party Selahattin Demirtaş & Figen Yüksekdağ Left-wing Saadet Felicity Party Temel Karamollaoğlu Right-wing BBP Great Union Party inner-party factions Collective leadership Far right Vatan Patriotic Party Doğu Perinçek Kemalism HAK-PAR Rights and Freedoms Party Refik Karakoç pro-Kurdish HKP People's Liberation Party Nurullah Ankut Communism DP Democrat Party Gültekin Uysal Centre-right KP Communist Party Arif Hikmet Basa Communism DSP Democratic Left Party Önder Aksakal Centre-left LDP Liberal Democratic Party Gültekin Tırpancı Liberalism MP Nation Party Aykut Edibali Nationalism DYP True Path Party Çetin Özaçıkgöz Centre-right TSİP Socialist Workers' Party of Turkey Turgut Koçak Socialism TKP Communist Party of Turkey Hüseyin Karabulut Communism ÖDP Freedom and Solidarity Party Collective leadership Left-wing EMEP Labour Party Selma Gürkan Communism DSİP Revolutionary Socialist Workers' Party Meltem Oral & Şenol Karakaş Left-wing YP Homeland Party Sadettin Tantan Nationalism AYP Crescent Star Party Serap Gülhan Kemalism EHP Labourist Movement Party Sibel Uzun Left-wing HP 'No' Party Tuna Bekleviç Single-issue ---> İKP Workers' Fraternity Party Mehmet Şadi Ozansü Left-wing DİP Revolutionist Workers' Party Ömer Sungur Savran Socialism DBP Democratic Regions Party Emine Ayna pro-Kurdish HEPAR Rights and Equality Party Yücel Savaş Nationalism ESP Socialist Party of the Oppressed Sultan Ulusoy Far-left TİKP Workers Villagers Party of Turkey İsmail Durna Left ANAP Motherland Party İbrahim Çelebi Centre-right Dev-Parti Revolutionary People's Party Celal Özcan Left-wing MTP Nationalist Turkey Party Ahmet Yılmaz Büyükekmekci Nationalism ÖSP Freedom and Socialism Party Sinan Çiftyürek Far-left 1920 TKP Socialist Liberation Party Şener Ataş Communism Yeşil Sol Greens and the Left Party of the Future Naci Sönmez Green politics TİVEP Unemployed's and Labourers' Party of Turkey Rıfat Derya Sercan Centre-left SYKP Socialist Refoundation Party Tülay Hatimoğlulları Oruç Far-left KP Women's Party Benal Yazgan Feminism TURAN Great Turan Movement Party Varol Esen Ultra nationalism HHP Rights and Peace Party Gürsel Yıldız Centre HTKP People's Communist Party of Turkey Emre Yağan Communism CİHAP Universe Party Kürşad Emre Öğretmek Centre Anayol Main Path Party Zafer Maden Centre-right TÜHAP People's Party of Turkey Mehmet Çetin Centre MMP National Struggle Party Ahmet Kaya Nationalism ASP AS Party Cavit Kayıkcı Nationalism İDP Workers' Democracy Party Oktay Çelik Left-wing TKH Communist Movement of Turkey Erkan Pınarbaşı Communism Devrimci United Revolutionist Party Ufuk Göllü Left-wing AP Justice Party Vecdet Öz Centre-right TBP Unity Party of Turkey Hüseyin Ekici Kemalism SEP Socialist Laborers' Party Gökçe Şentürk Socialism EYP Universal Path Party Metin Güler Alevism Büyük Great Turkey Party Tevfik Diker Centre-right DGP Democratic Young Party Erkin Çözeli Centre Ulusal Parti National Party Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu Third Position
Organisations The following organizations favoured a 'No' vote: NGOTypePolitical orientationRef. Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) Trade union Centre-left Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Medical union Centre-left MHP Dissidents Intra-party opposition Nationalism BBP Dissidents Intra-party opposition Far-right Confederation of Public Workers' Unions of Turkey (Türkiye Kamu-Sen) Trade union Centre-right Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) Trade union Left-wing Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) Trade union Left-wing United Confederation of Public Employees' Unions (Birleşik Kamu-İş) Trade union Kemalism Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD) Kemalism Youth Union of Turkey (TGB) Youth organisation Kemalism Republican Women's Association (CKD) Women organization Kemalism Retired Military Officers Association of Turkey (TESUD) Military veterans organization Kemalism Artists' Union of Turkey (TSB) Art organization Kemalism Artists' Initiative Art organization Left-wing Turkish Law Institution Institution Kemalism National Constitution Movement Think tank Kemalism Intellectuals' Hearth Nationalism Confederation of Turkish Tribes (TÜRKBOY) Nationalism Social Thought Association (TDD) Nationalism Turkish Left Magazine Third Position
Republican People's Party (CHP) campaign
The Republican People's Party (CHP) held a pre-campaign rally in Adana on 3 December 2016, titled 'We will not partition Turkey'. The rally was also supported by Idealists, who traditionally support the MHP. The CHP parliamentary group voted against the proposals in Parliament but was unable to block their approval. On 15 February 2017, it was announced that the CHP wouldn't refer the voting process, which had been marred by unconstitutional open voting by AKP MPs, to the Constitutional Court, claiming that they believed that voters would reject the proposals at the ballot box.
On 6 February, the CHP unveiled a 10-article booklet detailing the reasons why they supported a 'No' vote, with the 10 key points being opposition to a 'one-man regime', a party state, the end of powers of Parliament, a government without scrutiny, a biased judiciary, en economic crisis, terrorism, the erosion of fundamental and universal values, to partitioning Turkey and an 'elected monarchy'. This followed on from a 21 December 2016 publication released by CHP Deputy Leader Bülent Tezcan, containing 35 questions and answers about the proposed presidential system.
On 28 February, the CHP unveiled their campaign, under the slogan ‘Geleceğim İçin Hayır’ ('No' for my future). It was stated that party logos would not be used during the campaign. The party also unveiled its first official campaign rally to be at Amasya, though one of the party's dissident MPs Muharrem İnce held a rally at Alaplı, Zonguldak Province on 8 March. Also on 8 March International Women's Day, the CHP Women's Wing in İzmir held an event where participants spelled out the word 'No' with their bodies, with the scene captured by helicopter. The event was also attended by party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's wife Selvi and Deputy Leader Selin Sayek Böke.
Many CHP MPs began visiting different areas of Turkey and Turkish expats abroad in order to gather support for a 'No' vote soon after the referendum date was announced. The party's former leader Deniz Baykal attended an event in France while Istanbul Member of Parliament Sezgin Tanrıkulu and parliamentary group leader Özgür Özel led a group of MPs to Diyarbakır where the party has no representation.
At the start of the campaign, party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu reportedly asked the party's officials to conduct the 'No' campaign on a purely positive basis, refraining from using a negative or alienating discourse. It was also reported that the CHP were getting ready to make a campaign film similar to the 'No' campaign for the Chilean national plebiscite of 1988, which resulted in a victory for the 'No' side and an eventual end to the regime of Augusto Pinochet.
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) campaign
References
External links "The CHP’s arguments against constitutional changes in Turkey". TRT World. "Why the HDP doesn't support the proposed amendments in Turkey" . TRT World.