PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 28881/07) against the Republic of Turkey lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a Turkish national, Mr Baskin Oran (“the applicant”), on 7 July 2007.

The applicant was represented by Mr M.S. Gemalmaz, a lawyer practising in Istanbul. The Turkish Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent.

The applicant alleged a violation des Articles 10 and 14 of the Convention respectively, in conjunction with Article 3 of Protocol No. 1, and a violation of Article 13 of the Convention.

On 14 March 2011 the applications were communicated to the Government.

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1945 and lives in Ankara.

The applicant, who was a professor of political science at the University of Ankara, had stood for the parliamentary elections of 22 July 2007, in the second electoral district of Istanbul, as an independent candidate. He had not been a member of any political party at the material time.

A. The legislative background to the present applications

With a view to a deeper understanding of the background to the present applications, the Court considers it useful to outline the circumstances under which the parliamentary elections of 22 July 2007 took place. Accordingly it will refer to the relevant passages of Yumak and Sadak v. Turkey ([GC], no. 10226/03, §§ 22-26, ECHR 2008), which read as follows: “22. In early May 2007 the Turkish Parliament decided to hold early parliamentary elections, choosing 22 July 2007 as the date. The decision followed a political crisis resulting from Parliament’s inability to elect a new President of the Republic to follow on from Ahmet Necdet Sezer before the expiry of his single seven-year term of office, on 16 May 2007. In the normal course of events, these elections should have been held on 4 November 2007.

Fourteen political parties took part in the elections, which were marked by two characteristics. Firstly, a strong mobilisation of the electorate was observed following the presidential crisis, since the participation rate rose to 84%. Secondly, political parties used two pre-electoral strategies to circumvent the national 10% threshold. The Party of the Democratic Left (DSP) took part in the poll under the banner of the CHP, a rival party, and by that means managed to win thirteen seats. The Party for a Democratic Society (DTP, pro-Kurdish, left-leaning) presented its candidates as independents using the slogan ‘A thousand hopes’; it also supported certain left-wing Turkish candidates. This movement was backed by other small left-wing groups such as the EMEP, the SDP and the ÖDP (the Liberty and Solidarity Party, socialist). More than sixty independent candidates stood for election in about forty provincial constituencies.

In the elections the AKP, the CHP and the MHP managed to get over the 10% threshold. With 46.58% of the votes cast, the AKP won 341 seats, 62% of the total. The CHP, with 20.88% of the votes, won 112 seats, 20.36% of the total; however, the thirteen MPs mentioned in paragraph 23 above subsequently resigned from the CHP and went back to the DSP, their original party. The MHP, which polled 14.27% of the votes, won seventy‑one seats, or 12.9% of the total.

The strong showing by independent candidates was one of the main features of the elections of 22 July 2007. There were none in the National Assembly in 1980 but 1999 saw them return, when there were three. In 2002 nine independent MPs were elected from a national total of 260 independent candidates. In the elections of 22 July 2007, twenty-seven independent MPs were elected. In particular, more than twenty ‘thousand hopes’ candidates were elected, after obtaining approximately 2.23% of the votes cast, and joined the DTP after the elections. The DTP, which had twenty MPs, the minimum number to be able to form a parliamentary group, was thus able to do so. The independents also included a socialist MP (the former president of the ÖDP), a nationalist MP (the former president of the Great Union Party – BBP, nationalist) and a centrist MP (the former president of ANAP).

A government was formed by the AKP, which again secured an absolute majority in Parliament.”

B. Application no. 28881/07

In accordance with Article 94 II a) of Law no. 298 as amended under section 24 of Law no. 3270 of 28 March 1986, electors were able to vote in polling stations set up at customs posts for political parties but not for independent candidates, who included the applicant.

In a Decree of 27 May 2007 the Higher Electoral Council (Yüksek Seçim Kurulu) stated that it had chosen 25 June 2007 and 22 July 2007 respectively as the dates for the beginning and end of the parliamentary elections in the polling stations set up at customs posts for nationals who had been resident abroad for over six months. In the Decree the Higher Electoral Council explained that the nationals in question could only vote in those polling stations for political parties.

On 3 July 2007, with reference to Articles 67 and 90 § 6 of the Constitution and Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention, the applicant lodged with the Higher Electoral Council a request for the annulment of the Decree du 27 May 2007.

On 4 July 2007 the Higher Electoral Council dismissed the applicant’s request, on the basis of Article 94 II a) of Law no. 298. It pointed out that this provision could only be modified by a fresh legislative amendment.

C. Application no. 37920/07

Section 52 (1) of Law no. 298 on Elections allowed political parties participating in elections to transmit election broadcasts on national radio and television (TRT), subject to certain restrictions, particularly in terms of airtime.

The Higher Electoral Council oversaw the implementation of the Law, which laid down sanctions for infringements of the provisions on election broadcasts.

Election broadcasts were authorised from 15 to 21 July 2007, that is to say during the week before the elections.

According to the applicant, the Law did not allow independent candidates like himself who did not, as a matter of principle, belong to any political party, to electioneer on the national radio and television, or, for that matter, on the private channels.

The applicant stressed that one peculiarity of the 22 July 2007 elections had been the large number of independent candidates standing. He considered that this unprecedented phenomenon had stemmed, firstly, from the 10% electoral threshold imposed during the parliamentary elections, and secondly, from the dissatisfaction felt by most people at the material time with the performance of the political parties, whether in power or in opposition. ...
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e1
001-142636_a10_em1
CODE
DIRECT
28881/07
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e2
001-142636_a10_em2
ORG
NO_MASK
Republic of Turkey
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e3
001-142636_a10_em3
DEM
NO_MASK
Turkish
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e4
001-142636_a10_em4
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Baskin Oran
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e5
001-142636_a10_em5
DATETIME
QUASI
7 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e6
001-142636_a10_em6
PERSON
QUASI
Mr M.S. Gemalmaz
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e7
001-142636_a10_em7
LOC
QUASI
Istanbul
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e2
001-142636_a10_em8
ORG
NO_MASK
001-142636_a10_em2
Turkish Government
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e8
001-142636_a10_em9
DATETIME
QUASI
14 March 2011
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e9
001-142636_a10_em10
DATETIME
QUASI
1945
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e10
001-142636_a10_em11
LOC
QUASI
Ankara
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e11
001-142636_a10_em12
DEM
QUASI
professor of political science
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e12
001-142636_a10_em13
ORG
QUASI
University of Ankara
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e13
001-142636_a10_em14
DATETIME
NO_MASK
22 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e7
001-142636_a10_em15
LOC
QUASI
Istanbul
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e13
001-142636_a10_em16
DATETIME
NO_MASK
22 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e13
001-142636_a10_em17
DATETIME
NO_MASK
22 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e14
001-142636_a10_em18
PERSON
NO_MASK
Ahmet Necdet Sezer
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e15
001-142636_a10_em19
DATETIME
NO_MASK
16 May 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e16
001-142636_a10_em20
DATETIME
NO_MASK
4 November 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e17
001-142636_a10_em21
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
84%
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e18
001-142636_a10_em22
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
10%
POLITICS
insert
001-142636_a10_e19
001-142636_a10_em23
ORG
NO_MASK
The Party of the Democratic Left (DSP)
POLITICS
check
001-142636_a10_e20
001-142636_a10_em24
ORG
NO_MASK
CHP
POLITICS
insert
001-142636_a10_e21
001-142636_a10_em25
ORG
NO_MASK
The Party for a Democratic Society (DTP, pro-Kurdish, left-leaning)
POLITICS
insert
001-142636_a10_e22
001-142636_a10_em26
MISC
NO_MASK
‘A thousand hopes’
ETHNIC
correct
001-142636_a10_e3
001-142636_a10_em27
DEM
NO_MASK
Turkish
POLITICS
insert
001-142636_a10_e23
001-142636_a10_em28
ORG
NO_MASK
EMEP
POLITICS
check
001-142636_a10_e24
001-142636_a10_em29
ORG
NO_MASK
SDP
POLITICS
insert
001-142636_a10_e25
001-142636_a10_em30
ORG
NO_MASK
ÖDP (the Liberty and Solidarity Party, socialist)
POLITICS
check
001-142636_a10_e26
001-142636_a10_em31
ORG
NO_MASK
AKP
POLITICS
check
001-142636_a10_e20
001-142636_a10_em32
ORG
NO_MASK
CHP
POLITICS
correct
001-142636_a10_e27
001-142636_a10_em33
ORG
NO_MASK
MHP
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e18
001-142636_a10_em34
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
10%
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e28
001-142636_a10_em35
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
46.58%
POLITICS
check
001-142636_a10_e26
001-142636_a10_em36
ORG
NO_MASK
AKP
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e29
001-142636_a10_em37
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
341 seats
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e30
001-142636_a10_em38
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
62%
POLITICS
check
001-142636_a10_e20
001-142636_a10_em39
ORG
NO_MASK
CHP
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e31
001-142636_a10_em40
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
20.88%
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e32
001-142636_a10_em41
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
112 seats
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e33
001-142636_a10_em42
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
20.36%
POLITICS
check
001-142636_a10_e20
001-142636_a10_em43
ORG
NO_MASK
CHP
POLITICS
insert
001-142636_a10_e34
001-142636_a10_em44
ORG
NO_MASK
DSP
POLITICS
check
001-142636_a10_e27
001-142636_a10_em45
ORG
NO_MASK
MHP
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e35
001-142636_a10_em46
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
14.27%
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e36
001-142636_a10_em47
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
seventy‑one seats,
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e37
001-142636_a10_em48
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
12.9%
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e13
001-142636_a10_em49
DATETIME
NO_MASK
22 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e38
001-142636_a10_em50
ORG
NO_MASK
National Assembly
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e39
001-142636_a10_em51
DATETIME
NO_MASK
1980
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e40
001-142636_a10_em52
DATETIME
NO_MASK
1999
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e41
001-142636_a10_em53
DATETIME
NO_MASK
2002
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e42
001-142636_a10_em54
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
260 independent candidates
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e13
001-142636_a10_em55
DATETIME
NO_MASK
22 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e43
001-142636_a10_em56
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
approximately 2.23%
POLITICS
insert
001-142636_a10_e44
001-142636_a10_em57
ORG
NO_MASK
DTP,
POLITICS
insert
001-142636_a10_e45
001-142636_a10_em58
ORG
NO_MASK
ÖDP
POLITICS
insert
001-142636_a10_e46
001-142636_a10_em59
ORG
NO_MASK
Great Union Party – BBP
POLITICS
check
001-142636_a10_e47
001-142636_a10_em60
ORG
NO_MASK
ANAP
POLITICS
check
001-142636_a10_e26
001-142636_a10_em61
ORG
NO_MASK
AKP
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-142636_a10_e1
001-142636_a10_em62
CODE
DIRECT
28881/07
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e48
001-142636_a10_em63
DATETIME
NO_MASK
28 March 1986
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e49
001-142636_a10_em64
ORG
NO_MASK
27 May 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e50
001-142636_a10_em65
ORG
NO_MASK
Higher Electoral Council (Yüksek Seçim Kurulu)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e51
001-142636_a10_em66
DATETIME
NO_MASK
25 June 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e13
001-142636_a10_em67
DATETIME
NO_MASK
22 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e52
001-142636_a10_em68
DATETIME
NO_MASK
over six months
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e53
001-142636_a10_em69
ORG
NO_MASK
Higher Electoral Council
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e54
001-142636_a10_em70
DATETIME
QUASI
3 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e53
001-142636_a10_em71
ORG
NO_MASK
Higher Electoral Council
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e49
001-142636_a10_em72
DATETIME
QUASI
27 May 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e55
001-142636_a10_em73
DATETIME
QUASI
4 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e53
001-142636_a10_em74
ORG
NO_MASK
Higher Electoral Council
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e56
001-142636_a10_em75
CODE
QUASI
37920/07
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-142636_a10_e57
001-142636_a10_em76
ORG
QUASI
(TRT)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e53
001-142636_a10_em77
ORG
NO_MASK
Higher Electoral Council
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e58
001-142636_a10_em78
DATETIME
NO_MASK
15 to 21 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e59
001-142636_a10_em79
DATETIME
NO_MASK
week
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e13
001-142636_a10_em80
DATETIME
NO_MASK
22 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-142636_a10_e18
001-142636_a10_em81
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
10%
Baskin Oran
TUR
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Baskin Oran