The unity of opposites: The CHP–MSP coalition (26 january – 17 november 1974)

In the elections held on October 14, 1973, no political party was able to secure a majority to govern alone. This situation paved the way for new coalition governments in Turkey. By 1974, the country entered a period without a functioning government, while uncompromising attitudes among political parties continued. The inability of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Justice Party (AP) to form a government further sharpened the left–right conflict, and the political, social, and economic problems in the country increasingly escalated. Although the general tendency of the military command was in favor of a strong AP–CHP or a National Coalition government, differing approaches from the parties and the inability to form a government led to a 3.5-month political crisis after the elections. The delay and absence of a government aggravated the country's problems and paved the way for a rapprochement between the CHP and the National Salvation Party (MSP). The purpose of this thesis is to examine whether the coalition between the CHP and the MSP—two parties with opposing ideological positions and distinct social bases—was a political imposition or a natural extension of Turkey's democratic process following the October 14, 1973 elections. To this end, the study presents an analysis of the formation process of the CHP–MSP coalition government, which was in office between January 26 and November 17, 1974. It investigates both domestic and international developments carried out for the benefit of society and the country, by drawing upon primary sources, copyrighted and scholarly works, as well as documents and data obtained through face-to-face interviews. The CHP–MSP coalition government was established as a necessity shaped by the prevailing political atmosphere and social conditions in the aftermath of the 1973 elections. The dissolution of the coalition stemmed not only from disagreements on various political and social issues but also from Bülent Ecevit's tendency to transform the success of the Cyprus Peace Operation into electoral advantage for the CHP. Consequently, disputes between Bülent Ecevit and Necmettin Erbakan led to the termination of the coalition, making the CHP–MSP government short-lived.