1980 Constantinopolitan general election (Queen of Cities)

The 1980 Constantinopolitan general election was held on May 4, 1980. Elections were called by Prime Minister Ekrmen as he felt that the entry into force of a new constitution on June 1 warranted a renewal of the Parliament's mandate. Additionally, the months preceding the election showed favorable polling results for The Socialists. The results showed a victory for the ruling Socialists, a party that was formed by the merger of The Social Democrats and the New Left Party in 1979. Djemal Erkmen thus secured another term in office with a coalition composed of The Socialists, the Left Party and the Progressive Party. The opposition had a weak showing as the Citizens' Front and the Reformist Party both lost seats. In contrast, the right-wing Liberal Party came back into Parliament under the charismatic leadership of Costas Antoniou.

Electoral system
The 200 deputies of Parliament were chosen from a single nationwide electoral district with a 5% threshold. For the 1980 election, sixteen parties managed to secure registration. This election was also marked by the abolition of compulsory suffrage.

Background
The election was held after the adoption of the new 1980 Constitution via referendum. With the completion of the constitutional revision process the government felt that it could fully concentrate its forces on the economy as the country was slipping back into recession by mid-1980. In the previous years, the government's hands were tied by parliamentary opposition to its program of nationalizations, reduction of the workweek, imposition of new taxes and increased public spending. While limited in scope, the government began implementing its policies over the previous parliamentary term, hoping that a stronger hand in the aftermath of the election would allow them to continue with their reforms.

Government formation
The Socialists were the only party capable of forming a government. They chose to continue their coalition with the increasingly center-left Progressive Party while also inviting the firmly left-wing Left Party into government. The resulting Fourth Erkmen Government would be the first one to go to the full length of its term since the introduction of proportional representation in 1976.