Abstract:

The 1957 general elections, which had a critical importance in the process leading up to the 1960 Military Coup, created a process that determined the fate of the ruling and opposition parties both in terms of implementation and results. In this process, the tense political atmosphere within the framework of the political and socio-economic conditions of the country also affected the elections and their results. The rapid rise of the DP during the 1950-1960 period, when the CHP, which had been in power for a long time, went into opposition, resulted in a decline at the same rate. The point that makes the 1957 elections, which is the most important indicator of this decline, different from the previous elections was the extent of the decline and the change reflected on the electorate. It seems interesting that especially in some provincial provinces, the choice of voters undergoes a radically opposite change. In this respect, the 1957 elections have an important and special position both in the history of the DP and in Turkish political life. The fact that the DP, which received results contrary to expectations, especially in the provincial provinces, could not read the results well, was a turning point in the destiny of the party. In this study, which deals with the CHP victory that emerged in 1957 in Adana, Çankırı, Elâzığ, Gümüşhane, Maraş, Niğde, Sivas, Tokat, Urfa and Uşak, which the DP holds with the results of the last two elections, and the reasons for this sharp break with the DP, The clues of the changing political balance are examined. The study is of the opinion that both the rupture and confusion experienced in the local party organizations of the mentioned provinces and the strategies followed by the DP center affected the 1957 election results. Local and national newspapers and literature studies are the main source of reference.