Electoral alliances in Constitutional law

Elections are a sine qua non of democratic systems. The way to determine the government in representative democracies, to give it legitimacy, and to control the previously elected government or to replace it with another is through general, equal, secret, individual, and free elections. The electoral picture of the will of the voters in democratic regimes has been interpreted in various ways and different electoral systems have been developed. Political parties trying to reach the absolute majority required for presidential elections in presidential and semipresidential systems or the quorum required for the formation of a government in parliamentary systems, along with the constraining factors of electoral systems, have preferred to enter the elections by forming electoral alliances. This thesis aims to evaluate electoral alliances in the context of world countries and especially Türkiye in terms of constitutional law. This thesis examines the reasons that lead political parties to electoral alliances, the advantages and disadvantages of entering elections by forming alliances, and the effects of electoral alliances on democratic regimes in the short and long term. Selected countries around the world with presidential, semi-presidential, and parliamentary systems are evaluated in the context of electoral alliances. Besides, the alliances formed in the period before 2018, when electoral alliances were prohibited by law in Türkiye, are analyzed. The last section deals with electoral alliances in the parliamentary, presidential, and local government elections that took place after the 2018 electoral law amendments. 14 May 2023 electoral alliances in the parliamentary and presidential elections and the meaning of these alliances for Turkish politics are evaluated. Keywords: Elections, Electoral Systems, Alliances, Electoral Alliances, 14 May 2023 Elections