The parliamentary candidate lists of four political parties that currently have seats in Parliament can be interpreted as the harbinger of the kind of election campaign strategies they will practice during the election process.

Despite being in power for 13 years, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has taken a risk by renewing its staff. The AK Party's 76 parliamentarians, the majority of whom are the party's founders and who have served as ministers, cannot run as candidates in this election because of the three-term rule. A total of 175 parliamentarians, including former members who will not stand as candidates, will not have place in the AK Party's parliamentary group. Although this practice works to deprive the party of a certain accumulation of experience, it is a gain in terms of paving the way for new, young figures, raising individuals and bringing dynamism to Turkish politics where there is a prevailing tradition that one does not leave one's seat once it is obtained.

Moreover, with the exception of certain names, it is possible to see that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan left the list to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's discretion, which makes it difficult to exaggerate some past incidents and interpret them as if the confidence (between the two leaders) was undermined. Perhaps, because he comes from an academic background, Davutoğlu places a greater value on higher education as an important criterion in determining candidates. Furthermore, the results of tendency surveys, which were conducted with nongovernmental organizations for the first time, had an impact on candidate selection. The AK Party's candidate list was not prepared with only the decisions that were taken on the table, but it also attached importance to the tendencies in the field and did not ignore individuals who are influential in their constituency. To present women such as Fatma Benli, Leyla Şahin and Merve Kavakçı's sister Ravza Kavakçı as candidates seems to be a good response to the postmodern coup of Feb. 28. Additionally, the inclusion of liberal figures such as writer Markar Esayan, lawyer Mehmet Uçum and journalist Mahmut Övür in the list reflects the pluralism in the AK Party's candidate list. Placing young candidates who have been nominated for the first time, including Abdurrahim Boynukalın, Mehmet Algan and Erkan Kandemir, near the top of the list is compatible with the objective of the three-term rule that was set to smooth the way for young candidates.

As for the Republican People's Party's (CHP) list, it is possible to see that 85 percent of the impact of preliminary elections led to an earthquake within the party. It is true that the party's neo-national faction has been completely liquidated. In contrast, candidates who stand out with their Alevi and Kurdish identities are in the foreground. This is also because of the CHP's concerns about losing votes to the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). Despite being democratic, preliminary elections prioritize favoring fellow countrymen with sectarian and ethnic motives. Therefore, they are dangerous in terms of marginalizing and isolating the party further and losing the entrenched neo-nationalist CHP voters in coastal cities.The HDP's candidate list presents the most progressive picture in terms of including female candidates and minorities. However, I am not sure how such large space that is opened for figures coming from the archaic Turkish left will bring votes to the HDP. If it had chosen names from the center-left, the HDP would have more power to attract voters from cities, particularly young CHP electorates. In such a picture, unfortunately, it becomes even more questionable whether the HDP can pass the election threshold or not.

The Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) list reveals that the names of the party's Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's staff were completely re-written as a result of desk work, with the exception of the inclusion of famous conservative representatives such as Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu and Durmuş Yılmaz. The inclusion of two figures who compete against Bahçeli during congresses is also striking.After last week's terror attacks, it is positive enough to talk about politics and elections. May the best party win!