The transition to a multi-partydemocratic system in Türkiye was the result of a process including around a quarter of a century, influenced by domestic and foreign policy developments during the Second World War. The Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti), founded in 1945 by members of parliament of left the C.H.P., quickly organized itself and gained apparently support among the public. Given the interest of public in this new party, the governing party decided to hold earlier than planned the municipal and parliamentary elections, originally required for 1947. The election law was set righted, and the election was conducted using an open voting, secret counting method. This led to rumors that irregularities, making the elections questionable, and sparked reactions against the election results. Malatya, one of the provinces where the Democratic Party is still establishing its organization, has become an election center where the struggle between the C.H.P. and independent candidates, especially the competition over candidate lists, has taken place. This study aims to examine the political developments in Malatya during the 1946 general elections, from the perspective of the competition of political parties and candidates.
History, Policy, General election, Malatya.