Abstract:

Since 1980s various leaders have claimed demands to transform into presidential governing system in Turkey. These demands have not been realized until recently. In the recent years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reclaimed the debates of transforming into presidential system in the public agenda. The opposition raised harsh criticisms against this proposal. Among these criticisms, it has been asserted that there will be a change of the regime into single man authoritarianism. In the beginning, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) opposed this proposal. However, MHP recently declared its support to the presidential model proposed by AKP. Over this declaration, AKP and MHP agreed upon the constitutional amendments bringing presidential model. This agreed text is approved by the Turkish Grand National Assembly and is to be presented to the public referendum by the President. Provided that this constitutional amendment is approved via the referendum, parliamentarian system in Turkey will be replaced by the presidential system. The presidential model presented in Turkey differs in various aspects from the one in USA. These differences make the presidential system specific to Turkey. Structural features of Turkey, as well as dominant political, social and cultural factors have been influential over this specific preference

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