Parliamentary election campaigns in Turkey: from nomination to polling day
In a parliamentary election, communication works in two stages: first to become the party’s candidate, then to reach voters in the constituency. With our Gebze-based team we prepare the nomination introduction, the candidate film and photos, social media and the personal website on a single timetable.
General election calendar
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey has 600 members, and parliamentary elections are held on the same day as the presidential election. The last general election was held on 14 May 2023. On the regular timetable, the next election is expected in 2028; the exact date has not yet been set and will be announced by the Supreme Election Council. If the election is brought forward, preparation time shrinks, so identity, portrait and website work should start before the date is announced.
Nomination: the first campaign within the party
Parliamentary candidates are selected through each party’s own procedures. A prospective candidate first introduces themselves to the party’s members, delegates and officials. At this stage, a short introduction film, professional portraits, a CV, a dossier describing their work and a personal website are useful. Party rules and dates are tracked by the prospective candidate’s team; we prepare the content to that timetable. For congress and delegate elections, see our party-internal elections page.
Communication in the constituency
MPs are elected from constituencies, and the number of seats for each province is updated by the Supreme Election Council before each election; in the 2023 election, Kocaeli was represented in parliament by 14 MPs. Within a constituency, districts, industries and local agendas differ. The content plan is built around these differences: meetings with business in industrial zones, visits to local businesses and civil society in the districts, meetings with young people and separate short videos for each district.
What do we prepare?
- Candidate introduction film: the main film telling the candidate’s story and priorities, with short versions for social media. Details: candidate film and campaign video.
- Portrait and field photography: photo sets for posters, leaflets, the press and social media.
- Social media management: weekly plan, content from visits and meetings, short videos, comments and messages. Details: election social media management.
- Personal website: CV, work, press coverage, events calendar and contact; bilingual if needed.
- Press kit: biography, photo set and visual templates for statements.
Rules and the campaign period
Election campaigning is governed by Law No. 298 and the decisions the Supreme Election Council publishes for each election. In the 2023 general election, the free campaign period began on 4 May and ended on the day before polling day, 13 May, at 18:00. The national election threshold for political parties was lowered to 7 per cent by Law No. 7393 in 2022; it does not apply to independent candidates. The content plan follows these rules and is checked with the candidate’s legal adviser. For the general framework, see our guide election bans and social media.
Our experience with similar work
We ran Yakup Törk’s entire campaigns in the Darıca 2019 and Dilovası 2024 local elections: campaign and strategy management, press relations, corporate identity, social media management and 51 campaign videos. We are managing the campaigns of Abdurrahman Aslantaş in the Gebze Chamber of Commerce election and of Salih Tufan Ünal, a state parliament candidate in Germany, with the same scope.
Parliamentary campaign: five steps
- Initial meetingThe constituency, party timetable, priority issues and approval authority are agreed.
- Nomination dossierPortraits, a short introduction film, a CV and a personal website are prepared.
- Campaign identityThe visual language, templates and a content plan by district are submitted for your approval.
- Field phaseVisits and meetings are filmed; short edits are prepared for sharing the same day.
- Polling day and afterRule-compliant information is published; after the election, the archive and accounts are handed over.
Our election projects
Campaigns we have run that relate to this topic. Each card opens the project’s own page; the videos come from the campaign playlists on the JASSİR YouTube channel.
Yakup Törk, Darıca 2019
Full campaign management, 29 videos
Darıca local elections, 2019 · 9 January 2024 · 6 min 1 s
Gebze Chamber of Commerce election: campaign series
You will find more detail on this topic in our guide: 10 things to do before you run for office
Frequently asked questions about parliamentary election campaigns
When is the next parliamentary election?
The last general election was held on 14 May 2023. On the regular timetable, the next parliamentary (TBMM) and presidential election is expected in 2028; the exact date is announced by the Supreme Election Council.
Do you also work during the nomination phase?
Yes. An introduction film, portraits, a CV and a personal website can be prepared at this stage; compliance with party rules is checked by the prospective candidate’s team.
How many MPs represent Kocaeli in parliament?
In the 2023 election Kocaeli was represented by 14 MPs. Each province’s number of seats is updated by the Supreme Election Council before every election.
Do you also work with independent candidates?
Yes. The national threshold does not apply to independent candidates; for them, website, film and social media work is planned earlier.
Let’s start planning your parliamentary campaign now.
Tell us your constituency, your party timetable and your priorities; we will come back with a proposed scope and timetable.