1975 Constantinopolitan general election (Queen of Cities)

The snap 1975 Constantinopolitan general election was held on August 17, 1975 in order to elect the first Parliament since the end of the Citizens' Front authoritarian rule over the city-state during the Tulip Revolution (February-May). Since the beginning of the year, mass protests and strikes forced the resignation of two Frontist prime ministers and the creation of a non-partisan government that was tasked with the conduct of new elections. The downfall of the 40-year long rule of the Front resulted in the apparition of numerous new parties, with seven parties entering the legislature following the election. Despite the fact that the Citizens' Front managed to retain the largest number of seats it lost power as a government of national unity would adopt electoral reform that would directly lead into another election in January 1976.

The 1975 election saw a record number of women enter Parliament as female deputies now held 47 seats. This election also marked the first time that a woman was chosen as leader of a major political parties as two women, Zoé Angelopoulos (Democratic Forum) and Adèle Blonstein (Republican-Socialist Party) had taken been named as leaders by their parties in the run up to the election.

One-party rule
The period that preceded the 1975 Tulip Revolution was marked by the authoritarian rule of the Citizens' Party. These years were marked by continuous economic growth and the significant modernization of Constantinopolitan society through the introduction of the Great Reforms in the 1930s and 1940s. Since taking power, the Citizens' Party had transformed Constantinople into a unified country where French became the primary language of daily life, ethnic conflicts had subsided and the quality of life rose significantly. However, the period of one-party rule was also marked by increasing corruption and authoritarianism, especially in the last years of Emre Dervish's premiership after the Red Summer of 1968. Since the Red Summer protests, the government cracked down on the opposition by limiting individual freedoms and closing numerous newspapers and TV channels.

Tulip Revolution
The long period of one-party rule began to shatter during the Red Summer (June-August 1968), when students and trade unions began demonstrating against the lack of democracy, censorship, income inequality, poor working conditions under the years of Emre Dervish's leadership. While unsuccessful in their goals, the movement would have a lasting impact on the city-state's common consciousness. The violent police crackdown that had ended the movement and the increasing repression since led to a downturn in the Citizens' Front's popularity. Nevertheless, most citizens remained supportive of the government because of the rise in living standards that the population was experiencing at the time.

This period of growth came to an end with the 1973 oil crisis as the country experienced a significant economic downturn as some factories were shut down, unemployment rose, oil was rationed and inflation increased to nearly 20%. This sudden crisis delegitimized the Citizens' Front branding as the party of economic growth, leading to growing opposition to Goryemkine's government (1973-1975). While the Front remained in power, the period between 1973 and 1975 saw a rise in the number of unregistered political movements and parties.

The Tulip Revolution was eventually triggered when the government decided to close La Voix Démocratique (The Democratic Voice), a left-wing newspaper on February 21. As a result students began protesting against censorship, causing the disruption of the school year. Eventually the police repression led to public outcry and trade unions called on their members to join the student protests (February 28). Students and workers were soon joined by those that wanted a return to democracy. These protests lasted from March until June, with the police being ordered to scale back their repression to allow the citizenry to demonstrate. Remembering the failure of the Red Summer, the trade unions called for the restoration of democracy by threatening a general strike. Despite the dismissal of the 2nd Goryemkine Government the trade unions did not budge and the prime minister was forced to resign on April 5 in favor of Horace Lebreton, who would in turn be forced to resign in June, thus ending the 40-year long rule of the Citizens' Front. In the aftermath a non-partisan government under academic Martin Armand was formed with the goal of conducting new elections to Parliament.

Political parties and coalitions
The end of one-party rule and the broad citizen participation in the Tulip Revolution allowed for the creation of new political parties. As such the election would be contested between 1033 candidates from 32 different political parties.


 * the Citizens' Front had ruled over Constantinople for the past 40 years. For the 1975 election, the party began a purge of its most controversial figures while continuing to present itself as the party of stability, leading to the exodus of its left and right electorates into the various new political formations. The Front's 1975 Program called for increased social spending and the continuation of the 1943 Constitution. During the campaign, the Front's economic policy came under fire as being incoherent. Despite a significant loss of support the Front was still projected to secure a majority of seats, even with a largely diminished share of the popular vote.


 * the Party of the Republican Left was formed by various trade union leaders that had led the labor movement in the Tulip Revolution. The party ran on an explicitly left-wing platform, calling for the assembly of a Constituent Assembly and the implementation of new social programs (such as universal health care and a state pension system), as well as pay rises for most of the country's workforce. The party did not publish a full program as it planned for the new Parliament to enact proportional representation and subsequently calling for another election.


 * the Democratic Forum was an electoral alliance of various minor parties and independent candidates who ran on the issue of constitutional revision and the enactment of proportional representation. The candidates that ran with the Democratic Forum ranged in their political views, varying from left-wing to right-wing. Following the return of the electoral system to proportional representation in October, the Democratic Forum was dissolved and the involved parties began campaigning separately.


 * the Party of Freedom was the successor of the pre-Tulip Revolution Democratic Renewal Party. Situated on the far-right of the political spectrum, the party's populist agenda was centered on its opposition to immigration, rendering it popular among the city's Christian and Jewish communities. The Party for Freedom was critical of some Great Reforms, calling for the re-opening of religious schools and state funding for religious hospitals.


 * the Reformist Party was born when the right wing of the Citizens' Front abandoned the party in the early 1970s. Presenting itself as a classical liberal party, it was heavily influenced by neoliberal policies, promoting deregulation and liberalization of the country's economy. While remaining silent on the constitutional issue, the Reformist Party highlighted its economic proposals that would lower taxes and government expenditure with the aim of boosting economic growth.


 * the Republican-Socialist Party represented the student wing of the Tulip Revolution, running on a program of democratization and education reform with continued state interventionism in the economy. The party's environmentalist proposals meant that, for the first time in Constantinopolitan history, a parliamentary party pledged to take action against climate change. However, the similarities between the Party of the Republican Left and Republican-Socialist Party led to vote-splitting among the left-wing electorate, costing them many seats.


 * the Left Front found itself in a weak position because of its inaction while being the main opposition force in the country during the period of one-party rule. As a result, the party was abandoned by its moderate electorate in favor of new parties and the Left Front became an alliance of communist and other far-left parties. The party's platform for the 1975 election called for state control of the economy.