President of Turkey
The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the Turkish military. The president also heads the National Security Council.
For a list, see List of presidents of Turkey.
President of the
Republic of Türkiye
- Mr. President
(informal) - The Honorable
(formal) - His Excellency
(formal, diplomatic)
Five years, renewable once
29 October 1923
The office of the president of Turkey was established with the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye on 29 October 1923, with the first president and founder being Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.[2][3] Traditionally, the presidency was mostly a ceremonial position, with real executive authority being exercised by the prime minister of Turkey. However, constitutional amendments approved in the 2017 constitutional referendum abolished the office of prime minister, and vested the presidency with full executive powers, effective upon the 2018 general election.[4][5] The president is directly elected by eligible Turkish voters for a five-year term.[6][7]
The president of Turkey is referred to as Cumhurbaşkanı ("Republic leader"), and previously archaically as Cumhurreisi or Reis-i Cumhur, also meaning "head of the republic/people".[8][9]
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the 12th and current president of Turkey, who has held the office since 28 August 2014.
History[edit]
The office of the President was established with the proclamation of the republic on October 29, 1923. In the voting held on the same day, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was unanimously elected as the first president. From this date until 2014, all presidents except Kenan Evren were elected by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Among the former presidents, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, İsmet İnönü and Celâl Bayar served as presidents affiliated with a political party. Atatürk and İnönü continued to serve as both the chairman and the president of the Republican People's Party, while Celâl Bayar resigned from the Democrat Party chairmanship when he started his presidency, but continued to be a party member during his presidency.
With the 1961 Constitution made after the 1960 coup, it was decided that presidents should cut off any relation with political parties. Evren, who was governing the country as the head of state and the head of the National Security Council after the 1980 coup, was appointed to the Presidency on November 7, 1982, when the constitution was adopted by popular vote, in accordance with the first provisional article of the 1982 Constitution.
With the 2007 constitutional amendment referendum, it was decided that the president would be elected by the people, and in the first elections held on 10 August 2014 after this change, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was elected president by the people. The president, who is the head of state, is also the head of government after the 2017 constitutional amendment referendum.
Leadership roles[edit]
Head of state[edit]
As head of state, the president represents the Turkish government to its own people, and represents the nation to the rest of the world. Insulting the head of state is prohibited by Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code.[10]
Head of party[edit]
Leaders of political parties are generally expected to run as a presidential candidate for their party. However, they can also decide not to run as a candidate and contribute to the process of nominating other individuals.
From 1961 until 2017, Turkish presidents were required to sever all relations, if any, with their political party.[11] This convention existed to ensure the president's impartiality in presiding over the Turkish constitutional system. However, the presidency's reorientation in 2017 into a chief executive office abolished this convention, given a president's assumption of office as winners of a partisan electoral contest.[11]
Regional leader[edit]
The presidents of Turkey are widely perceived as regional power due to the country's strategic importance, geopolitical influence, economic and military strength, cultural heritage, and historical ties. Their active engagement in regional diplomacy, mediation efforts, humanitarian assistance, and economic cooperation underscores Turkey's role as a key player in shaping regional dynamics and promoting stability and prosperity in the broader neighborhood.[12]
Selection process[edit]
Eligibility[edit]
Article 101, Section 1 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for holding the presidency. To serve as president, one must:
Incumbency[edit]
Term limit[edit]
The president is elected for a term of office of five years and is eligible for one re-election. An exception exists when a president's term ends with a parliamentary decision (i.e., impeachment and removal from office). In this case, the president may be re-elected for an additional term, with the incomplete term not counting against the two-term limit.[19]
The term of the incumbent president continues until the president-elect takes office. Before the constitutional amendment approved in the 2007 referendum, the president used to be elected for a single seven-year term.
Vacancies and successions[edit]
In the event that the office of the President becomes vacant for any reason and there is one year or less before the general election of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the election of the president is held together with the general election of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on the first Sunday following the sixtieth day after the vacancy of the office.
In the event that the office of the President becomes vacant for any reason and there is more than one year remaining for the general election of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the presidential election is held on the last Sunday within forty-five days following the day the office is vacant. The president elected in this way continues his duty until the election date of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. For the president who has completed the remaining term, this period is not counted as a term.
If the elections are not completed, the current president's office continues until the new one takes office.
In the event that the Turkish Grand National Assembly decides that it is not possible to hold new elections due to the war, the presidential election is postponed for one year. If the reason for the postponement has not disappeared, this process can be repeated according to the procedure in the postponement decision.
The president's duties are stated in the Articles 104 of the Constitution.
The president performs also the duties of selection and appointment, and other duties conferred by the Constitution and statutes.