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Politics of Turkey
Constitution History Secularism Human rights LGBT rights
Legislature Grand National Assembly (Parliament) Speaker: Numan Kurtulmuş Leader of the Main Opposition Özgür Özel Political parties
Executive President (list) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz Cabinet (list) Current cabinet (67th) Ministries National Security Council Governors
Judiciary Constitutional Court President: Kadir Özkaya Court of Cassation President: Mehmet Akarca Court of Accounts President: Metin Yener Council of State President: Zeki Yiğit
Elections Electoral system Electoral cycle Supreme Election Council Recent elections Parliamentary 2018 2023 next Presidential 2018 2023 2028 Local 2014 2019 2024 Referendum 2007 2010 2017 Political parties
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister: Hakan Fidan (list) Diplomatic missions of Turkey Diplomatic missions in Turkey Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy Membership of international organizations Turkey and the United Nations Permanent Representative European Union Accession relations Customs Union
See also History History of the Republic Armed Forces
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Turkey is a secular, republican parliamentary democracy. Its current constitution was adopted on November 7, 1982 after a period of military rule, and enshrines the principle of secularism. Executive power rests in a President. Legislative power is invested in the 550-seat Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi), representing 81 provinces. 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.

Turkey has a multi-party system, with several strong parties.

Since 1950, parliamentary politics has been dominated by conservative parties. Even the ruling AKP, although its core cadres root from the Islamist current, tends to identify itself with the "tradition" of DP. The leftist parties, most notable of which is CHP, with a rapidly shrinking electorate, draw much of their support from big cities, coastal regions, professional middle-class, and minority groups such as Alevis and Kurds.

The current President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, was elected by Parliament on May 16, 2000. The Prime Minister is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose Islamic conservative AKP won a majority of parliamentry seats in the 2002 general elections. The Chairman of the Parliament is Bülent Arınç from the same party. The current President of the Constitutional Court is Mustafa Bumin. The Chief of Staff of the Turkish military is Hilmi Özkök.

See for more information on elections: Elections in Turkey.

Political principles of importance in Turkey

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

• Laicism
• Modernization
• Turkish nationalism

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

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

These principles are the continuum around which various - and often rapidly changing - political parties and groups have campaigned (and sometimes fought).

Political parties and elections

Template:Turkish parliamentary election, 2002

See also

• Motherland Party (Turkey)
• Nationalist Movement Party
• Electoral calendar
• Electoral system
• List of political parties in Turkey

• Politics of Turkey