Topic > Türkiye - 1986

Due to the war women gained the right to vote. In 1946 the multi-party era began. A military junta took power and ruled from 1960 to 1961. In 1961, a new constitution was ratified and elections began. The 1970s were a time of political violence and economic uncertainty. For this reason, a second junta was formed in 1980, which instituted martial law and abolished all political parties. The second junta was dissolved due to a new constitution, adopted in 1982. Turkey then became a republican parliamentary democracy. The country of Türkiye is a republic led by an elected president, similar to our country. Their president is HE Ahmet Necdet Sezer. He is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, chairs cabinet meetings and the head of state. The executive branch is composed of the head of state, namely President Ahmet Necdet Sezer; the head of government is Prime Minister Bulent, who represents the majority party or coalition in Parliament. The cabinet is composed of the Council of Ministers appointed by the president. Cabinet members are nominated by the Prime Minister and elected by the President. The President of Türkiye is elected by the Grand National Assembly for a seven-year term. All citizens over the age of 20 have the right to vote. The country's legislative body is the Grand National Assembly, which is the Parliament of Türkiye. They have the power to legislate, ratify treaties and declare war. But unlike our Congress, it is a unicameral legislature. This means they have only one legislative chamber. The Grand National Assembly is made up of two chambers, the National Assembly and the Senate. The National Assembly is made up of 450 members, elected by the people for a 4-year term. The Senate is made up of 150 members, plus another 40 who are not elected but appointed for life. Elections were last held on 18 April 1999. The seats occupied by the various parties are subject to change due to defections, creation of new parties and ouster or death of incumbent MPs, starting from 1 January 1999. They receive their power since the 1982 Constitution. The Assembly is chaired by the Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit. Parliaments in the Turkish electoral system are elected based on the proportion of votes they receive, rather than based on the largest number of votes obtained. A party needs 10% of the national vote before it can be considered for a seat in Parliament.