Political structure of Mersin at the basis of the results of the local elections

Abstract

It was aimed to investigate the political structure of Mersin and its place in the general political structure of Turkey by using methods and techniques of political sociology. Structural-functionalist was used as the theoretical base. In the other words the formation of political power in Mersin and the overall operation and changing regularities were investigated.

To achieve this goal, the results of the Turkish local elections in last 50 years (totally 10 local elections) were examined. First of all, the formation of political power in Turkey and the overall operation and changing regularities at the bases of the local elections were evaluated. Secondly, It was looked to the formation of the political structure and the distribution of political power in Mersin since 1963 up to 2012. Finally, the meaning of Mersin findings within Turkish society was elaborated.

Findings clearly shows that the political structure of Mersin city is rather different than overall Turkey. Rightist political understanding predominates the political structure of Mersin province. However, left politics plays a determining role in the political structure of the city of Mersin. Nevertheless, it has been experiencing significant changes in the city of Mersin in recent years: While left-wing parties has been experiencing a significant decrease, the trend has been upward for the right-wing parties. Additionally, ethnic-based political parties are gaining power in the city of Mersin.