Turkey

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Turkey

Politics President (List) Abdullah Gül Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Council of Ministers (Cabinet) 60th, established on August 29, 2007 Parliament Köksal Toptan (Speaker) Political parties Elections Presidential: 2000, 2007 General Elections: 1973, 1977, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2002, 2007 Foreign relations EU accession National Security Council Legal system Constitution Human rights Secularism Law enforcement Administrative Divisions Provinces (İller) Districts (İlçeler) See also: Regions (Bölgeler)

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Politics of Turkey takes place in a framework of a strictly secular parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Turkey is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The President of Turkey ( Cumhurbaşkanı) is the Head of state of the Republic of Turkey. This is a complete list of Presidents of Turkey consisting of the eleven Heads of state in the country's inception following the Turkish War of Independence Abdullah Gül PhD GCB, (born October 29, 1950) is the 11th President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since This is a chronological list of Prime Ministers of Turkey, since the establishment of that position in 1920, during the Turkish War of Independence. "Erdoğan" redirects here For the Turkish Helicopter Erdoğan see Kamov Ka-50. The cabinet (Council of Ministers of Turkey comprises the heads of the major ministries Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi - TBMM, usually referred to simply as Meclis - "the Parliament" is the Unicameral Köksal Toptan (1943 Rize) is a Turkish politician and served as government minister in three cabinets Political parties in Turkey lists political parties in Turkey. Turkey elects on the national level a Legislature. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi) has 550 members elected for The 2000 Turkish presidential election consisted of a first round election on 27 April, 2000 followed by a second round vote on 1 May and a third on The 2007 Turkish presidential election refers to two attempts to elect the country's 11th president, to succeed Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Turkey 's 8th general election was held on October 14, 1973 to select 450 MPs for the new term of TBMM. Turkey 's 9th general election was held on June 5, 1977. Elections took place in the middle of a political race between the right wing party AP and the left Turkey 's 10th general election was held on November 6, 1983. Turkey 's 11th general election was held on October 29, 1987. Turkey's 12th general election was held on October 20, 1991. It was the first by the ruling Motherland Party to be contested without its founding leader Turkey's 13th general election was held on Sunday December 24, 1995, triggered after the newly-reformed Republican People's Party (CHP withdrew from a Turkey's 14th general election was held on Sunday April 18, 1999 and was the first election in Turkish history to combine local council and parliamentary elections Turkey's 15th general election was held on November 3, 2002 following the collapse of the DSP-MHP-ANAP coalition led by Bülent Ecevit. Turkey's 16th general election was held on July 22 2007 and resulted in a resounding victory for the incumbent Justice and Development Party. Foreign relations of the Republic of Turkey are the Turkish government's policies in its external relations with the International community. Turkey's application to acceede to the European Union (previously the European Communities) was made on 14 April 1987 Per article 118 of the Turkish Constitution, the National Security Council ( Turkish: Milli Güvenlik Kurulu (MGK is set up as an advisory organ composed The basics of the legal system in the Republic of Turkey are laid out in Articles 138 to 160 of the 1982 Constitution. The current Constitution of Turkey, ratified in 1982 establishes the organization of the government of the Republic of Turkey and sets out the principles and rules of the Human rights in Turkey are protected by a variety of International law treaties which takes precedence over domestic legislation, according to the 1982 Constitution Secularism in Turkey was introduced with the Turkish Constitution of 1924 and later the Atatürk's Reforms set the administrative and political requirements to create Law enforcement in Turkey is carried out by several departments and agencies all acting under the command of the Prime Minister of Turkey or mostly the Minister of the Turkey is divided into 81 provinces called iller in Turkish (singular is il, see Turkish alphabet for capitalization of i The 81 provinces of Turkey are divided into 923 Districts ( ilçeler; sing The provinces of Turkey are organized into 7 census-defined regions ( bölge) which were originally defined at the First Geography Congress in 1941 Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its This is a chronological list of Prime Ministers of Turkey, since the establishment of that position in 1920, during the Turkish War of Independence. This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State A multi-party system is a system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition Executive power is exercised by the government. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi - TBMM, usually referred to simply as Meclis - "the Parliament" is the Unicameral The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State Its current constitution was adopted on November 7, 1982 after a period of military rule, and enshrines the principle of secularism. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar)

Turkey's political system is based on a separation of powers. Its constitution is called Anayasa or Constitution.

Abdullah Gül - President

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - Prime Minister

Turkish Electoral System

Executive branch

The function of Head of State is performed by the President (Cumhurbaşkanı). Abdullah Gül PhD GCB, (born October 29, 1950) is the 11th President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since The President of Turkey ( Cumhurbaşkanı) is the Head of state of the Republic of Turkey. "Erdoğan" redirects here For the Turkish Helicopter Erdoğan see Kamov Ka-50. This is a chronological list of Prime Ministers of Turkey, since the establishment of that position in 1920, during the Turkish War of Independence. A president is elected every seven years by the Grand National Assembly. The President does not have to be a member of parliament. The current President Abdullah Gül, was elected by Parliament on August 28, 2007. Abdullah Gül PhD GCB, (born October 29, 1950) is the 11th President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Executive power rests in the Prime Minister (Başbakan) and the Council of Ministers (Bakanlar Kurulu). This is a chronological list of Prime Ministers of Turkey, since the establishment of that position in 1920, during the Turkish War of Independence. The Ministers don't have to be members of Parliament (eg. Kemal Derviş). Kemal Derviş is a Turkish Economist and Politician. He was born on January 10, 1949 in Istanbul to a Turkish father and The Prime Minister is elected by the parliament through a vote of confidence in his government. The Prime Minister is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose Islamic conservative AKP won a majority of parliamentary seats in the 2002 general elections. "Erdoğan" redirects here For the Turkish Helicopter Erdoğan see Kamov Ka-50. The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AK Parti, or AKP) is the incumbent Turkish Political party, which describes Turkey's 15th general election was held on November 3, 2002 following the collapse of the DSP-MHP-ANAP coalition led by Bülent Ecevit. The Chairman of the Parliament is Bülent Arınç from the same party. Bülent Arınç (born 1948 is a Turkish Politician of oratorical renown The current President of the Constitutional Court is Tülay Tugcu. She is the first woman to become the President of the Constitutional Court. The Chief of Staff of the Turkish military is Yaşar Büyükanıt. General Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt (b September 1, 1940) was the 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces

Legislative branch

Legislative power is invested in the 550-seat Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi), representing 81 provinces. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi - TBMM, usually referred to simply as Meclis - "the Parliament" is the Unicameral The members are elected for a five year term by mitigated proportional representation with an election threshold of 10%. Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes In Party-list proportional representation systems an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes either To be represented in Parliament, a party must win at least 10% of the national vote in a national parliamentary election. Independent candidates may run, and to be elected, they must only win 10% of the vote in the province from which they are running. The Turkish military plays an informal political role, seeing itself as the guardian of the secular, unitary nature of the republic. Political parties deemed anti-secular or separatist by the judiciary can be banned. Separatism refers to the advocacy of a state of cultural ethnic tribal religious racial or gender separation from the larger group often with demands for greater political autonomy Turkey has a multi-party system, with several strong parties. A multi-party system is a system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral

Political principles of importance in Turkey

The Turkish Constitution and most mainstream political parties are built on the following principles:

• Laicism
• Modernization
• Turkish nationalism

Other political ideas have also influenced Turkish politics and modern history. Laïcité (laisiˈte is the French concept of a Secular society, connoting the absence of religious involvement in government affairs The idea of modernization comes from a view of societies as having a standard Evolutionary pattern as described in the Social evolutionism theories The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Of particular importance are:

• Capitalism
• Communism
• Islamic fundamentalism
• Kurdish separatism
• Pan-Turkism
• Socialism

These principles are the continuum around which various - and often rapidly changing - political parties and groups have campaigned (and sometimes fought). Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Islamic fundamentalism Arabic: usul (from usul the "fundamentals"] is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the History See also History of the Kurdish people Ancient period See also Hurrians, Guti, Mannaeans, Medes Pan-Turkism is a political movement aiming to unite the various Turkic peoples into a modern political State, a Confederation, or an economic union closely Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution

Political parties and elections

Since 1950, parliamentary politics has been dominated by conservative parties. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined Even the ruling AKP, although its core cadres root from the Islamist current, tends to identify itself with the "tradition" of DP. The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AK Parti, or AKP) is the incumbent Turkish Political party, which describes Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only The leftist parties, most notable of which is CHP, with a stable electorate, draw much of their support from big cities, coastal regions, professional middle-class, and minority groups such as Alevis and Kurds. The Republican People's Party (Turkish Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi or CHP) is the oldest political party in the Republic of Turkey. The middle class, in colloquial usage consists of those who have some economic independence but not a great deal of social Influence or power. Alevis (Aleviler Elewî are a religious sub-ethnic and cultural community in Turkey, numbering in the millions

July 2007 election results and analysis

The AKP won 46. 76% of the vote giving them 341 parliamentary seats. CHP received 20. 64%, which translating to control of 110 seats. MHP took third place with 14. The Nationalist Movement Party (also translated as 'Nationalist Action Party' (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi MHP) is a Nationalist, Conservative 33%, giving the party 71 seats. ^[1] The independents (whose majority are the leftist pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party candidates) won 28 seats. Democratic Society Party (Demokratik Toplum Partisi - DTP is a Kurdish nationalist Political party in Turkey. The DTP is the successor to the previous pro-Kurdish party, the DHP. Democratic People's Party ( Demokratik Halk Partisi, DEHAP was a Left-wing, pro- Kurdish Political party in Turkey. Independent candidates are not subject to the 10% threshold constraint placed on political parties. ^[2][3]

European Union officials welcomed the AKP's sweeping victory, describing it as "a mandate for the reforms it wants Turkey to complete during its membership talks. "^[4] The AKP nonetheless lacks the two-thirds majority in parliament necessary to push through legislation.

Judicial branch

Main article: Legal System in Republic of Turkey

The freedom and independence of the Judicial System is protected within the constitution. The basics of the legal system in the Republic of Turkey are laid out in Articles 138 to 160 of the 1982 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.

All courts are open to the public. When a case is closed to the public, the court has to publish the reason. Judge and prosecution structures are secured by the constitution. Except with their own consent, no judge or prosecutor can be dismissed, have his/her powers restricted, or be forced to retire. However, the retirement age restrictions do apply. The child courts have their own structure.

A judge can be audited for misconduct only with the Ministry of Justice's permission, in which case a special task force of justice experts and senior judges is formed.

The High Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors is the principal body charged with responsibility for ensuring judicial integrity, and determines professional judges acceptance and court assignments. Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is still in head of the High Council.

Turkey is adapting a new national "Judicial Networking System" (UYAP). The court decisions and documents (case info, expert reports, etc) will be accessible via the Internet.

Turkey accepts the European Court of Human Rights' decisions as a higher court decision. The European Court of Human Rights ( ECtHR) (Cour européenne des droits de l’homme in Strasbourg was established under the European Convention on Human Rights Turkey also accepts as legally binding any decisions on international agreements.

Factor of the military

Since Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded the modern secular Republic of Turkey in 1923, the Turkish military has perceived itself as the guardian of Kemalism, the official state ideology, even though Atatürk himself insisted on separating the military from politics. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (19 May 1881 &ndash 10 November 1938 was an army officer revolutionary Statesman Kemalist Ideology " Kemalism " (Kemalist İdeoloji Kemalizm Atatürkçülük Atatürkçü Düşünce or also known as the " Six Arrows " (Altı The Turkish Armed Forces still maintain 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 the National Security Council. The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF (Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri or TSK consist of the Army, the Navy (including naval aviation and naval infantry and the Air Force Per article 118 of the Turkish Constitution, the National Security Council ( Turkish: Milli Güvenlik Kurulu (MGK is set up as an advisory organ composed

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 executed coup d'etats in 1960, 1971, and 1980. Most recently, it maneuvered the removal of the Islamic-oriented prime minister, Necmettin Erbakan, in 1997. Necmettin Erbakan, born in Sinop, is a Turkish Engineer, Academic, Politician (eventually political party leader and was Prime [3]

In April 27, 2007, in advance of the November 4, 2007 presidential election, and in reaction to the politics of the ruling Justice and Development Party, which has the majority of seats in the parliament, the army issued a statement of its interests. It said that the army is a party in "arguments" over secularism. Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs Its statement closed with a veiled warning that the Turkish Armed Forces stood ready to intercede in politics, "The Turkish Armed Forces maintain 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. " [4] [5]

See also

• List of Presidents of Turkey
• List of Prime Ministers of Turkey
• List of Speakers of the Parliament of Turkey
• List of political parties in Turkey
• List of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

References