ISSUE: 3/2022
- Volume 26
- Number 3
- 2022
Subscribe NEWSLETTER
Studia Europejskie –
Studies in European Affairs
ISSN: 1428-149X
e-ISSN: 2719-3780
License
Articles published in the journal are under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial – No Derivatives 4.0 International License
2018’s ‘Political System Change’ and Its Impact on Party Politics in Türkiye
Abstract
The Republic of Türkiye was founded on Ottoman parliamentary tradition introduced in 1878. However, debates on system change have always been on the agenda. The Turkish political elite has occasionally presented proposals on the need to shift from a parliamentary to a presidential system. The times of political crises set a suitable ground for such favourable arguments. This article focuses primarily on the realisation of the system change witnessed under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership. In the first part, it argues that the three-phase strategy of the AK Party has made its political dreams come true. An issue is fi rst popularised, then narrativised, and fi nally securitised. Consequently, the new presidential government system was adopted with the April 16th, 2017 referendum. The article analyses how the system change has modifi ed the formation of such alliances among the political parties beyond customary ways. It questions to what extent this novel dimension of party politics would be sustainable.
The second part thus elaborates on the formation of alliances and the efforts to make them functional on the way to consensual politics. Lijphart’s classifi cation of democracies as majoritarian governments versus consensus governments has provided a theoretical base for a discussion on the return to a strengthened parliamentary system. The article sheds light on the new dynamics of government/opposition relations and their influence on Turkish democracy.
References
Alkan, H. (2018) Kuramsalcı Yaklaşım Işığında Yeni Siyasetin Analizi: Cumhurbaşkanlığı Sistemi. Ankara: Liberte Yayınları.
Çağlıyan İçener, Z. (2015) “Türkiye’de Başkanlık Sistemi Tartışmalarının Yakın Tarihi: Özal ve Demirel’in Siyasi Mülahazaları”, Türk Dünyası Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. Vol. 79 (Güz), pp. 313–340.
Çağlıyan İçener, Z. (2016) “July 15: The Siege of Democracy in Turkey and the People’s Unprecedented Resistance”, Türk Dünyası Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. Vol. 79 (Güz), pp. 107–128.
Çarkoğlu, A. (2007) “A New Electoral Victory for the ‘Pro-Islamists’ or the ‘new centre-right’? The Justice and Development Party Phenomenon in the July 2007 Parliamentary Elections in Turkey”, South European Society and Politics. Vol. 12(4), pp. 501–519. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608740701731457.
Çınar, İ. (2021) “Riding the Democracy Train: Incumbent-Led Paths to Autocracy”, Constitutional Political Economy. Vol. 32(3), pp. 310–325. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10602-021-09340-y.
Esen, B. and Gümüşçü, Ş. (2016) “Rising Competitive Authoritarianism in Turkey”, Third World Quarterly. Vol. 37(9), pp. 1581–1606. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2015.1135732.
Esen, B. and Gümüşçü, Ş. (2017) “A Small Yes for Presidentialism: The Turkish Constitutional Referendum of April 2017”, South European Society and Politics. Vol. 22(3), pp. 303–326. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2017.1384341.
Esen, B. and Gümüşçü, Ş. (2019) “Killing Competitive Authoritarianism Softly: The 2019 Local Elections in Turkey”, South European Society and Politics. Vol. 24(3), pp. 317–342. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2017.1384341.
Euronews (2021) HDP’den ‘2023 bildirisi’: Cumhurbaşkanlığı hükümet sistemini değiştirmek istiyoruz. Available at: https://tr.euronews.com/2021/09/27/hdp-den-2023-bildirisi-cumhurbaskanl-g-hukumetsistemini-degistirmek-istiyoruz (Access 29.07.2022).
Green-Pedersen, C. and Hoffman Thomsen, L. (2005) “Bloc Politics vs. Broad Cooperation? The Functioning of Danish Minority Parliamentarism”, The Journal of Legislative Studies. Vol. 11(2), pp. 153–169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13572330500158581.
Güçlendirilmiş Parlamenter Sistem Mutabakat Metni (2022) Available at: https://gelecekpartisi.org.tr/duyuru/alti-parti-ortakligiyla-hazirlanan-guclendirilmis-parlamenter-sistem-mutabakat-metni-1646063850 (Access 10.10.2022).
Gülener, S. (2016) “The Constitutional Amendment Draft: The End of Debates on Change in the Turkish Political System?”, Insight Turkey. Vol. 18 (4), pp. 109–125.
İYİ Parti (2022) Yarının Türkiye’si için güçlendirilmiş parlamenter system. Available at: https://iyiparti.org.tr/yarinin-turkiyesi-icin-guclendirilmis-parlamenter-sistem (Access 29.07.2022).
Kahraman, H.B. (2010) Türk Siyasetinin Yapısal Analizi-II: 1920–1960. İstanbul: Agora Kitaplığı.\
Kalaycıoğlu, E. (2015) “Turkish Popular Presidential Elections: Deepening Legitimacy ıssyues and Looming Regime Change”, South European Society and Politics. Vol. 20 (2), pp. 157–179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2015.1046264.
Kuzu, B. (2011) Her Yönü ile Başkanlık Sistemi. İstanbul: Babıali Kültür Yayıncılığı.
Lijphart, A. (2012) Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance of in Thirty-Six Countries. 2nd ed. New Haven & London: Yale University Press.
McLaren, L. and Cop, B. (2011) “The Failure of Democracy in Turkey: A Comparative Analysis”, Government and Opposition. Vol. 46(4), pp. 485–516. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-7053.2011.01344.x.
Miş, N. and Duran, B. (eds.) (2017) Türkiye’de Siyasal Sistemin Dönüşümü ve Cumhurbaşkanlığı Sistemi, 3rd ed. İstanbul: Seta.
Neziroğlu, İ. and Yılmaz, T. (eds.) (2015) Koalisyon Hükümetleri, Koalisyon Protokolleri, Hükümet Programları ve Genel Kurul Görüşmeleri. Available at: https://www5.tbmm.gov.tr/yayinlar/2021/dijital_kitaplarv2/index_eski_yayinlar.html?pdf=koalisyon_hukumetleri/koalisyon_hukumetleri_cilt_birlestirilmis (Access 22.05.2022).
Öniş, Z. (2015) “Monopolising the Centre: The AKP and the Uncertain Path of Turkish Democracy”, The International Spectator: Italian Journal of International Affairs. Vol. 50 (2), pp. 22–41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03932729.2015.1015335.
Özbudun, E. (2000) Contemporary Turkish Politics: Challenges to Democratic Consolidation. Colorado: Lynne Reinner Publishers.
Özbudun, E. (2014) “AKP at the Crossroads: Erdoğan’s Majoritarian Drift”, South European Society and Politics. Vol. 19(2), pp. 155–167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2014.920571.
Özbudun, E. (2015) “Turkey’s Judiciary and the Drift Toward Competitive Authoritarianism”, The International Spectator: Italian Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 50 (2), pp. 42–55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03932729.2015.1020651.
Sayarı, S. (2016) “Back to a Predominant Party System: the November 2015 Snap Election in Turkey”, South European Society and Politics. Vol. 21(2), pp. 263–280. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2016.1170254.
Schafer, D. (2021) “A Popular Mandate for Strongmen: What Public Opinion Data Reveals About Support for Executive Aggrandizement in Turkey, 1996–2018”, South European Society and Politics. Vol. 26(3), pp. 355–382. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2022.2034689.
Somer, M. (2014) “Moderation of Religious and Secular Politics, a Country’s ‘Centre’ and Democratization”, Democratization. Vol. 21(2), pp. 244–267. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2012.732069.
Somer, M. (2016) “Understanding Turkey’s Democratic Breakdown: Old vs. New and Indigenous vs. Global Authoritarianism”, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies. Vol. 16(4), pp. 481–503. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2016.1246548.
Yayman, H. (2016) Türkiye’de Devlet Reformu ve Başkanlık Sistemi. 2nd ed. İstanbul: Doğan Kitap.
DOI: 10.33067/SE.3.2022.2
Language: English
Pages: 31-53
How to Cite:
Harvard
Çağlıyan İçener, Z. (2022) "2018’s ‘Political System Change’ and Its Impact on Party Politics in Türkiye". Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs, 3/2022, pp. 31-53. DOI: 10.33067/SE.3.2022.2