Chess game continues at Supreme Court of Appeals ahead of polls

The balance of power at Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals is like a chess game played on a shifting platform. Five candidates are running for office in the elections scheduled to be held today, but understanding the situation in the chamber is impossible without taking a closer look at the back story.

What was the balance of power in the Supreme Court of Appeals before 2010?

When compared to today, the high court accommodated diversity, holding different views before 2010. Its number of members was 250. About 80 of them could be defined as social democrats, ultranationalists or secularists, while there was a group of 60 conservatives. There were some members known to be close to the Gülen community. The remaining either had nationalist values or were close to the center, while there were also several members who did not act with any group. 

How did the balance of power change with the 2010 referendum?

After the constitutional referendum in 2010 and amendments made on Feb. 14, 2011, 137 new seats were created for the high court. Together with vacant seats, a total of 160 new members were elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals, making the total number of seats 387. The former Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), which was formed after the referendum and remained until 2014, were made up of figures who represented the "government-community" alliance. This HSYK sent 160 new members to the Supreme Court, and more than 130 of them were names close to the Gülen Community. The rest were pro-government names. When the already existing conservative group is also taken into consideration, it is the "Gülenists" and the conservatives who constitute the majority.

What was the vote distribution before 2014?
Those new...