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1. Young people as voters

2. Young people as political representatives

Young people as voters

Within the framework of Article 67 (“Right to vote, to be elected and to engage in political activity”) of the Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye, “All Turkish citizens over eighteen years of age shall have the right to vote in elections and to take part in referenda.” The voting age is 18 (as Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye states).

Election principles and voting conditions
General election principles include free, general and equal vote; secret ballot; and open count and tabulation, as set out in the legal framework (as Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye states).

Voting conditions in Türkiye include:

• being a citizen of the Republic of Türkiye;
• being 18 years old;
• being registered in the electoral roll;
• not being legally restricted from exercising electoral rights, as regulated by law.

Türkiye uses the D’Hondt method for parliamentary seat allocation. The national electoral threshold for political parties was reduced from 10% to 7% by Law No. 7393 (adopted in 2022).

Election turnout is generally high in Türkiye. For example, turnout in the first round of the 2023 presidential election was widely reported as 88.92% based on statements by the Supreme Election Council.

Young people as political representatives

Article 67 of the Constitution includes the provision that citizens have the right “to vote, to be elected, to engage in political activities … and to take part in a referendum”.

Article 76 (“Eligibility to be a deputy”) previously set the eligibility age higher, but following the constitutional amendment adopted in the referendum held on 16 April 2017, the age of candidacy was reduced to 18 (see an English constitutional reference text reflecting the amendment: Constitution – Article 76 excerpt).

Article 68 of the Constitution provides that citizens have the right to form political parties and join/withdraw from them, and indicates that one must be over eighteen years of age to become a party member. 

Within this legal framework, political parties may establish youth branches as subsidiary bodies under their internal regulations.