Remarks of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairperson Devlet Bahçeli, a major ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, revived a debate on increasing the number of provinces in Türkiye. Bahçeli told a meeting of his party at Parliament last Tuesday that Türkiye may have “100 provinces and 1,000 districts in the new century,” referring to the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye.
Figures Bahçeli mentioned will round the number up, from 81 provinces and 922 districts. The debate is nothing new but remained dormant since Düzce became the last district to be upgraded to the status of province after a 1999 earthquake that flattened much of the Black Sea town. Residents of fast-growing districts occasionally call upon the government to upgrade their status to that of a province. An election promise fodder for countless politicians since Türkiye switched to multiparty elections in 1950, the issue has been brought up after a major general election this time but still, ahead of March 2024 municipal elections. The opposition did not comment yet on the issue but they will likely endorse the proposal.
Conversion to a province means more opportunities for districts, particularly in terms of an expanded budget partially subsided by the central government. The main criteria for the upgrade are having a population of at least 100,000 people and a distance – from the center of the province the districts are a part of – of at least 30 kilometers. Other factors include the economic prospects of the districts where the economic growth substantially increased since their designation as districts.
Bahçeli’s remarks were part of his speech where he mentioned that the MHP proposed a 100-article amendment to the Constitution, a relic of the coup era. “We already prepared our proposal for the centenary of the republic and it is possible to rebuild and develop a stronger Türkiye with an administrative structure of 100 provinces and 1,000 districts,” he said. The MHP leader made a similar proposal earlier and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) reportedly expressed approval to the earlier offer. The Sabah newspaper reported on Thursday that the People’s Alliance led by the AK Party may discuss it again. Yet, sources told Sabah that the issue may be postponed until the aftermath of the March 2024 elections. Although it is merely an administrative issue, many still view it as a political matter, to garner votes from potential provinces.
The prospect of becoming a province stirred up excitement already, in places such as Bandırma. This district of northwestern Balıkesir province on the southern coast of the Marmara Sea surpasses many provinces in terms of population, with more than 161,000 people. Bandırma fulfilled most of the criteria needed for provincial designation in the past. Adem Yılmaz, who heads the local chamber of commerce, says their expectations have been high “for the past 50 years.” “We have everything required to be a province. Bandırma is one of three districts in Türkiye with a university, we have a port, aviation hub and railroad and are located in a logistically strategic place,” Yılmaz told İhlas News Agency (İHA) earlier this week. Bandırma sits on a busy route connecting Istanbul, Türkiye’s most populated city, to the Aegean region. Yılmaz noted that the district’s economy was also top-notch. “We have businesses, and have people making it to the top five in the list of taxpayers paying most every year. Bandırma offers an added value to the region in terms of business, with its high trade volume and hosting of big Turkish companies,” he says. Yılmaz adds that although becoming a province is not a priority for them, it would bring prestige and fulfill the dreams of residents.
In the south, the Kozan district of the Adana province dreams of the same criteria. The district, one of the largest in the province in terms of area, has long been a province in the Ottoman era before it was reverted to the status of a district in 1926. Mayor Kazım Özgan hopes they will reclaim their “right to be a province” decades later. Several businesses were more excited in the district after Bahçeli’s remarks with shopkeepers displaying Turkish flags in their stores as traditional folk songs echoed on the streets in celebration.
Özgan says Kozan has been historically at the heart of several smaller districts, from Tufanbeyli to Feke, but had the disadvantage of its distance from central Adana. “We have a great potential to be a central location with our growing industry and agriculture and as a place with historic and touristic sites,” he told İHA. Özgan says districts receive incentives for industrial development but Kozan, despite its growth in the area, had little investment potential due to its status. Murat Mercan, a local shopkeeper, says Bahçeli is a man of his word and his proposal is realistic. “We are cheering now. Me and other businesses here decided to deliver meals to 1,000 people for free the day Kozan becomes a province,” he said.
Tarsus, in neighboring Mersin province, is more populated than Kozan with more than 350,000 people, compared to the meager 132,974 people of Adana’s district. Tarsus Mayor Haluk Bozdoğan says the district was ahead of many existing provinces in terms of population density. “We already deserve to be a province. Tarsus is Anatolia’s gateway to Mesopotamia and a place with a growing industry,” he said.
