Wikipedia

Politics of Turkey

Thepolitics of Turkeytake place in the framework of aconstitutionalrepublicandpresidential system,with various levels and branches of power.

Politics of Republic of Turkey

Türkiye'de siyaset
National emblem of Turkey
Polity typeUnitarypresidentialconstitutionalrepublic
ConstitutionConstitution of Turkey
Legislative branch
NameGrand National Assembly
TypeUnicameral
Meeting placeParliament Building
Presiding officerNuman Kurtulmuş,Speaker of the Grand National Assembly
Executive branch
Head of stateandgovernment
TitlePresident(Turkish:Cumhurbaşkanı)
CurrentlyRecep Tayyip Erdoğan
AppointerDirect popular vote
Cabinet
NamePresidential Cabinet
Current cabinetCabinet Erdoğan V
LeaderPresident
Deputy leaderVice President
AppointerPresident
HeadquartersPresidential Complex
Ministries17
Judicial branch
NameJudicial system
Constitutional Court
Chief judgeKadir Özkaya
Council of State
Chief judgeZeki Yiğit
Court of Cassation
Chief judgeMehmet Akarca
Court of Jurisdictional Disputes
Chief judgeCelal Mümtaz Akıncı

Turkey's political system is based on aseparation of powers.Executivepower is exercised by theCouncil of Ministers,which is appointed and headed by the President, who serves as country'shead of stateandhead of government.Legislativepower is vested in theGrand National Assembly.Thejudiciaryisindependentof the executive and the legislature. Its currentconstitutionwas adopted on 7 November 1982 after aconstitutional referendum.

Majorconstitutional revisionswere passed by the National Assembly on 21 January 2017 and approved byreferendumon 16 April 2017. The reforms, among other measures, abolished the position ofPrime Ministerand designated the President as both head of state and government, effectively transforming Turkey from aparliamentaryregimeinto a presidential one.

Suffrage isuniversalfor citizens 18 years of age and older.

National government

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Main articles:Government of TurkeyandJudicial system of Turkey

Turkeyis apresidentialrepresentative democracyand aconstitutionalrepublicwithin apluriformmulti-party system,in which thepresident(thehead of stateandhead of government),parliament,andjudiciarysharepowersreserved to the national government.

The government is divided into three branches, as per the specific terms articulated in part three of theTurkish Constitution:

Legislative power is invested in the 600-seatGrand National Assembly of Turkey(Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi), representing 81 provinces. The members are elected for a five-year term by mitigatedproportional representationwith anelection thresholdof 7%. To be represented in Parliament, a party must win at least 7% of the national vote in a national parliamentary election. Independent candidates may run, and to be elected, they must only win enough to get one seat.

The freedom and independence of the judicial system is protected within the constitution. There is no organization, person, or institution which can interfere in the running of the courts, and the executive and legislative structures must obey the courts' decisions. The courts, which are independent in discharging their duties, must explain each ruling on the basis of the provisions of the Constitution, the laws, jurisprudence, and their personal convictions.

The Judicial system is highly structured. Turkish courts have no jury system; judges render decisions after establishing the facts in each case based on evidence presented by lawyers and prosecutors. For minor civil complaints and offenses, justices of the peace take the case. This court has a single judge. It has jurisdiction over misdemeanors and petty crimes, with penalties ranging from small fines to brief prison sentences. Three-judge courts of first instance have jurisdiction over major civil suits and serious crimes. Any conviction in a criminal case can be taken to a court of Appeals for judicial review.

Administrative divisions

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Main article:Administrative divisions of Turkey

The political system of Turkey is highly centralized. However, as a member state of theCouncil of Europe,Turkey is under an obligation to implement theEuropean Charter of Local Self-Government.In its 2011 report, theMonitoring Committeeof the Council of Europe found fundamental deficits in implementation, in particular administrative tutelage and prohibition of the use of languages other than Turkish in the provision of public services.[4]

Political principles of importance in Turkey

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After becomingone of the early membersof theCouncil of Europein 1950, Turkey became anassociate memberof theEECin 1963, joined theEU Customs Unionin 1995 and startedfull membership negotiationswith theEuropean Unionin 2005.[5][6]

The Turkish Constitution is cumulatively built on the following principles:

Most mainstream political parties are alternatively built either on the following principles:

Other political ideas have also influenced Turkish politics and modern history. Of particular importance are:

Countries and regions where aTurkic languagehas official status

These principles are the continuum around which various – and often rapidly changing – political parties and groups have campaigned (and sometimes fought). On a superficial level, the importance which state officials attach to these principles and their posts can be seen in their response to breaches ofprotocolin official ceremonies.[8]

Political parties and elections

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Political parties

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Further information:List of political parties in Turkey

After World War II, Turkey started operating under amulti-party system.

On thecenter righttorightside of the Turkishpolitical spectrum,these parties have had large majorities:

Some other parties that have had similar politics but never had large majorities are:

Turkishright-wingparties are more likely to embrace principles of political ideologies such asconservatism,nationalismorIslamism.[9]

On thefar-right,there have been nationalist parties and Islamist parties:

On the left side of the spectrum, parties likeRepublican People's Party(CHP),Social Democratic Populist Party(SHP) andDemocratic Left Party(DSP) once enjoyed the largest electoral success.Left-wingparties are more likely to embrace principles ofsocialism,Kemalismorsecularism.[10]

Elections

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A woman casting her vote at the 2015 elections
Further information:Elections in Turkey

Elections in Turkey are held for six functions ofgovernment:presidential elections(national),parliamentary elections(national),municipality mayors(local),district mayors(local),provincialormunicipal council members(local) andmuhtars(local).

Apart fromelections,referendumsare also held occasionally. To put forward a referendum regardingconstitutional amendments,asupermajority(three fifths of the votes) in the parliament is required first. These kinds of referendums are binding.

In May 2023, President Erdogan won a new re-election and his AK Party with its allies held parliamentary majority in thegeneral election.[11]

Suffrage

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Every Turkish citizen who has turned 18 has theright to voteand stand as a candidate at elections.Universal suffragefor both sexes has been applied throughout Turkey since 1934.[12]

According to theConstitution of the Ottoman Empire(1876), theage of candidacywas 30 and thevoting agewas 25. In the newly established Republic of Turkey, the voting age was reduced to 18 due to the decreasing population, and the age of candidacy was still 30. The voting age was increased to 22 in 1934, decreased to 21 in 1987, and 18 in 1995.

The age of candidacy dropped from 30 to 25 through a constitutional amendment in 2006.[13]Following the2017 constitutional referendum,it was further lowered to 18.[14]

Financing

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Political parties can usedonations,dues,real estateincome and income from party activities to continue their activities. Since 1965, theTreasuryalso gives money to political parties. According to the law, parties that participated in the last parliamentary elections and that passed the general threshold are paid 0.04% of the general budget revenues each year. Apart from this, the parties that received more than 3 percent of the votes despite being below the threshold are also given public funding in proportion of support. This amount triples in election years.[15]

Political parties can't receive aid or donations in kind or in cash from foreign states, international organizations and entities not of Turkish nationality. The same rule applies for candidates inpresidential elections. Anonymousdonations to political parties are also not allowed. It should be clearly stated in the receipt given by the party that the donation belong to the donor or the donor's authorized representative or attorney. Donations by political parties cannot be accepted without relying on such a document. Donations from domestic corporations with (partial) government ownership are also not allowed.[16]

According to article 74 of the Political Parties Law, the financial control of political parties is carried out by theConstitutional Court.The Constitutional Court supervises the compliance of the property acquisitions, income and expenses of political parties with the Law. Presidents of political parties are obliged to submit a certified copy of the final account and the final accounts of the local organizations, including the party headquarters and its affiliated districts, to the Constitutional Court and to the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court for information, until the end of June.[16]

Military involvement in politics

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Further information:Deep state in Turkey

SinceMustafa Kemal Atatürkfounded the modern secular Republic of Turkey in 1923, the Turkish military has perceived itself as the guardian ofAtatürkçülük,the official state ideology. The TAF still maintains an important degree of influence over Turkish politics and the decision-making process regarding issues related to Turkish national security, albeit decreased in the past decades, via theNational Security Council.

The military has had a record of intervening in politics. Indeed, it assumed power for several periods in the latter half of the 20th century. It executedcoups d'étatin 1960,in 1971,andin 1980.In 1997, it maneuvered the removal of an Islamic-oriented prime minister,Necmettin Erbakan.[17]The military continued to effect politics throughout the first two decades of the 21st century, publishing an e-memorandum in 2007, and attempting a coup in 2016.

On 27 April 2007, in advance of 4 November 2007 presidential election, and in reaction to the politics ofAbdullah Gül,who has a past record of involvement inIslamistpolitical movements and banned Islamist parties such as theWelfare Party,the army issued a statement of its interests. It said that the army is a party to "arguments" regardingsecularism;that Islamism ran counter to the secular nature of the Turkish Republic, and to the legacy ofMustafa Kemal Atatürk.The Army's statement ended with a clear warning that the Turkish Armed Forces stood ready to intervene if the secular nature of the Turkish Constitution is compromised, stating that "theTurkish Armed Forcesmaintain their sound determination to carry out their duties stemming from laws to protect the unchangeable characteristics of the Republic of Turkey. Their loyalty to this determination is absolute. "[18]

The Turkish populace is not uniformly averse to coups; many welcome the ejection of governments they perceive as unconstitutional.[19][20][better source needed]Members of the military must also comply with the traditions of secularism, according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom report in 2008, members who performed prayers or had wives who wore the headscarf, have been charged with "lack of discipline".[21]

Paradoxically, the military has both been an important force in Turkey's continuous Westernization but at the same time also represents an obstacle for Turkey's desire to join the EU. At the same time, the military enjoys a high degree of popular legitimacy, with continuous opinion polls suggesting that the military is the state institution that the Turkish people trust the most.[22][better source needed]

On 15 July 2016, factions within the Turkish MilitaryattemptedtooverthrowPresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan,citing growing non-secularism and censorship as motivation for the attempted coup. The coup was blamed on the influence of the vast network led by U.S.-based Muslim clericFethullah Gülen.[23][24]In the aftermath of the failed coup,major purgeshave occurred, including that of military officials, police officers, judges, governors and civil servants.[25]There has also been significant media purge in the aftermath of the failed coup.[26]There has been allegations oftorturein connection with these purges.[27]

Ombudsman

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Main article:Ombudsman Institution

In 2012 the position ofombudsmanwas created, due to the ratification of the2010 referendum.The ombudsman is charged with solving, without the need to a recourse before the courts, the disagreements between citizens and the administrations and other entities charged with a mission of a public service proposing reforms to the Government and the administrations to further these goals; and actively participating in the international promotion ofhuman rights.The institution is independent of the government and answers to theParliamentalone. The ombudsman is elected for a period of 4 years by the Parliament.[28]

Foreign relations

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Main article:Foreign relations of Turkey

Throughout theCold War,Turkey's most important ally has been theUnited States,which sharedTurkey's interest in containingSoviet expansion.[29][30]In support of theUnited States,Turkeycontributed personnel to theUN forcesin theKorean War(1950–1953), joinedNATOin 1952, recognizedIsraelin 1948 and has cooperated closely with it.[31]

Turkey's relations with Israel

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Turkey's alliance withIsraelduring theArab–Israeli conflictstrained its relations with theArab world[32]andIran,[33]and subsequently led to overtSyriansupport forPalestinianandArmenian terrorist operationsagainst Turkish diplomats abroad until 1990.[34][35][36]

See also

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Further reading

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References

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  1. ^"Duties and Powers".global.tbmm.gov.tr.The Grand National Assembly of Turkey.Archivedfrom the original on 5 April 2019.Retrieved12 April2022.
  2. ^"Duties and Powers".www.tccb.gov.tr.Presidency Of The Republic Of Turkey.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2022.Retrieved11 April2022.
  3. ^"Turkish Constitution".www.anayasa.gov.tr.Anayasa Mahkemesi.Archivedfrom the original on 3 July 2019.Retrieved12 April2022.
  4. ^"Local and regional democracy in Turkey".Council of Europe, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Monitoring Committee. 1 March 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 17 May 2016.Retrieved16 May2016.
  5. ^"Chronology of Turkey-EU relations".Turkish Secretariat of European Union Affairs. Archived fromthe originalon 15 May 2007.Retrieved30 October2006.
  6. ^"Interview with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on BBC Sunday AM"(PDF).European Commission.15 October 2006.Archived(PDF)from the original on 21 November 2006.Retrieved17 December2006.
  7. ^Solak, Mustafa (5 February 2018)."Altı Ok Anayasa'ya nasıl eklendi?"[How were the Six Arrows added to the Constitution?].Aydınlık.Archived fromthe originalon 8 June 2018.Retrieved8 June2018.
  8. ^"V-Day brings protocol debates back to agenda".Today's Zaman.1 September 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 1 September 2008.Retrieved1 September2008.
  9. ^Yılmaz, Hakan."Conservatism in Turkey"(PDF).European Stability Initiative.Archived(PDF)from the original on 7 March 2022.Retrieved12 April2022.
  10. ^Kate Fleet; Suraiya Faroqhi; Reşat Kasaba (2008).The Cambridge History of Turkey.Cambridge University Press. pp. 357–358.ISBN978-0-521-62096-3.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2023.Retrieved13 June2013.
  11. ^Wilks, Andrew."Turkey's Erdogan celebrates presidential election run-off win".www.aljazeera.com.
  12. ^"Turkish women celebrate 85th anniversary of suffrage".Hürriyet Daily News.5 December 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 12 April 2022.Retrieved18 April2022.
  13. ^"Milletvekili seçilme yaşı 25'e iniyor".www.haberturk.com(in Turkish). 6 October 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 18 April 2022.Retrieved18 April2022.
  14. ^"'Lowering age of candidacy shows trust in youth'".Daily Sabah.11 February 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 18 April 2022.Retrieved18 April2022.
  15. ^"Siyasi partilere hazine yardımı nasıl belirleniyor?".euronews(in Turkish). 2 November 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 31 January 2022.Retrieved18 April2022.
  16. ^ab"Siyasi Partiler Kanunu"(PDF).mevzuat.gov.tr.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2 December 2012.Retrieved18 April2022.
  17. ^"Turkey - The World Factbook".CIA.Archived fromthe originalon 10 January 2021.
  18. ^"Excerpts of Turkish army statement".BBC News.28 April 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2019.Retrieved30 June2008.
  19. ^Baran, Zeyno (4 December 2006)."The Coming Coup d'Etat?".Newsweek.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2008.Retrieved11 October2008.
  20. ^Lt. Col. Patrick F. Gillis (3 May 2004)."U.S.-Turkish Relations: The Road to Improving a Troubled Strategic Partnership"(PDF).U.S. Army War College.p. 4.Archived(PDF)from the original on 15 December 2018.Retrieved23 March2010.In all of these 'coups' the majority of the Turkish public accepted the military's actions because they felt they were necessary for the well being of the state and because the military did not seek to impose permanent military governance
  21. ^Other countries under review: kazakhstan, malaysia, and turkeyArchived9 May 2009 at theWayback MachineUnited States Commission on International Religious Freedom. 2008. Retrieved on 2 May 2009.
  22. ^Ersel Aydinli; Nihat Ali Özcan & Dogan Akyaz (January–February 2006)."The Turkish Military's March Toward Europe".Foreign Affairs.Archived fromthe originalon 6 January 2009.Retrieved16 December2008.
  23. ^Filkins, Dexter (17 October 2016)."Turkey's Thirty-Year Coup".The New Yorker.Archivedfrom the original on 15 July 2017.Retrieved13 December2016.
  24. ^"Turkey's coup attempt: What you need to know".BBC News.16 July 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 25 November 2022.Retrieved25 November2022.
  25. ^Morris, Loveday (19 July 2016)."Turkey suspends more than 15,000 education workers in widening purge".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on 22 July 2016.Retrieved19 July2016.
  26. ^"Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of July 24 - Committee to Protect Journalists".cpj.org.25 July 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 4 October 2016.Retrieved5 October2016.
  27. ^"Detainees beaten, tortured and raped after failed Turkey coup, Amnesty says".independent.Archivedfrom the original on 25 November 2022.Retrieved25 November2022.
  28. ^"The Ombudsman Institution of Turkey and its role in ensuring access to justice for the right to housing and property"(PDF).Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.Archived(PDF)from the original on 19 August 2021.Retrieved18 April2022.
  29. ^Migdalovitz, Carol. "Turkey: Ally in a Troubled Region." Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, 93-835F. Washington: September 14, 1993.
  30. ^Karasapan, Omer. "Turkey and US Strategy in the Age of Glasnost,"Middle East Report,No. 160, September–October 1989, pp. 4–10, 22.
  31. ^Aybet, Gülnur.Turkey's Foreign Policy and Its Implications for the West: A Turkish Perspective.London: Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, 1994.
  32. ^Fuller, Graham E., Ian O. Lesser, Paul B. Henze, and J.F. Brown.Turkey's New Geopolitics: From the Balkans to Western China.Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1993.
  33. ^Robins, Philip.Turkey and the Middle East.London: Royal Institute of International Affairs and New York: Council on Foreign Relations Press, 1991.
  34. ^United States. Department of Defense. Terrorist Group Profiles. Washington: GPO, 1988.
  35. ^United States. Department of State. Patterns of Global Terrorism, 1992. Washington: 1993.
  36. ^United States. Department of State. Patterns of Global Terrorism 1993. Washington: 1994.
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