Political System of Turkey

Organisation of Govt.

Turkey:

• Strategically vital location located at crossroads between Asia and Europe.
• Controls the vital strait that links Black Sea, to the Aegean and Mediterranean sea
• 97% in Asia and Only 03% in Europe
• Bordering countries; Greece, Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Goergia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and Syria
• PRESIDENTIAL REPUBLIC- UNICAMERAL LEGISLATURE. (Turkish Constitution)
• PRESIDENT-Both Head of state and Governmet.

Executive

• President- Head of state and Govt
• Elected for 05 years by Turkish Grand National Assembly
• President is not a member of parliament
• Critera: 40+. Min Bachelors degree
• Executive powers rest in Council of Ministers
• Leader of Cabinet is President (Recep Teyyeb Erodgan-The Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Legislature

• Unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey
• 550 members elected for 04 years
• Mitigated proportional representation
• Election held before next term
• 10% is thershold limit of national vote to enter into parliament.
• Independent may run and one seat is enough

Judiciary

• Before 1923- Ottoman Empire- Islamic Canon Law (Sharia law)
• After 1923- Secular legal codes from Europe (The swiss civil code, italian penal code, German commerical code)
• Independent Judiciary. Executive legislative cant interfere. later both must obey the court decision.
• Civil and militart courts are separate
• State Security courts deal with cases related to terrorism and organised crimes. It replaced with professionalized courts. EU demands latter for membership

Local Government of Turkey

• Highly centralised system mainly in Ankara espacially in Council of Ministers

• This is heirarchy of administration
• Provinces (il) 81
• sub Provinces (ilce) 850
• districts (bucak)
• villages (koy) (37000 dist and vill)

• Administrative units are headed by an official appointed by President except village
• Village chief (muhtar) is elected popularly-answerable to ministry of interior
• Offices of the units are located in main largest cities
• Except Foriegn affairs, all ministries have departments in provincial level. (Both duties- National and local)

Electoral system of Turkey

• Until 1946- Single party system
• Untill 1934 voters were limited to age 18 and males only.
• In 1934 women were given the right to vote and run for national office
• In 1935 election, 15 women were elected

• HIGH ELECTION BOARD- Election results and all complaints
• Board: 11 members (6 members by GA of courts and cassation and 5 by GA of council of state.
• Proprtional representation but smal parties must win 10% of national vote to obtain seat.
• Law assigns one seat to each province- remaining to population of electoral districts

Major Political parties

• JUSTICE AND DEVELOPMENT PARTY (Islamic-rooted party)
• Ruling party- Head Recep Teyyep Erodgan. Formed in 2001.
• MOTHERLAND PARTY
• Formed by Turgut Ozal. It is political conservative and pragmatic but liberal economic policies
• REPUBLICAN PEOPL’S PARTY
• Formed in 1983. This is leftist party.

Political Principles

• TURKISH CONSTITUTION

1. Kemalism
2. Secularism
3. Modernization

• POLITICAL PARTIES

1. Nationalism
2. Islamism
3. Kemalism
4. Decentralization

• OTHER IDEAS INFLUENCED TURKISH POLITICS

• Neoliberalism
• Pan-Turkism
• Socialism
• Communism