Turkey (country)

I

Communications

In 1998 Turkey had 720 daily newspapers, with a combined circulation of 7 million. Larger dailies include Cumhuriyet, Sabah, Hürriyet, Milliyet, and Türkiye—all published in İstanbul. The country is also served by many weekly and monthly publications. The government monopoly on broadcasting ended in 1993. There are four state-run national radio networks; there are also 84 privately- and state-owned television stations. Kurdish-language television programming commenced in 2004. About 37 million radios and 30 million televisions were in use in 2000. In 2005 there were about 263 telephones per 1,000 people in Turkey.

V

Government

An attempt by the Allied powers and Greece to partition the country following World War I precipitated the Turkish War of Independence, led by Atatürk. The Turkish Republic was proclaimed on October 29, 1923. Modernization efforts followed, such as abolishing the religious courts in 1924. Women gained the right to vote in 1934.

The one-party system was ended in January 1946 when opposition leaders registered the Democratic Party; a number of other political parties were subsequently formed. In May 1950 Turkey held its first free, multi-party general election, which the Democratic Party won. Increasing inter-party tensions created a crisis in which a military junta seized power and governed from 1960 to 1961. A new constitution was adopted in 1961, and general elections followed. No clear majority emerged, however, and a series of coalition governments were formed by various parties. Following a period of economic uncertainty and political violence in the 1970s, a second junta in 1980 established martial law and dissolved all political parties. A new constitution was ratified by popular referendum in November 1982, and civilian government was restored at the end of 1983. A new constitution, complete with major reform measures intended to help ease Turkey’s passage into the EU, was approved in October 2001.

A

Executive and Legislature

During 1980-1983, executive power was vested principally in the National Security Council, headed by General Kenan Evren. With the ratification of the 1982 constitution, Evren became President of the Republic; the National Security Council, consisting of senior military officers, then functioned as the Presidential Council until its dissolution in 1989.

Under the 1982 constitution legislative power rests in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, a unicameral body directly elected for terms of up to five years. The number of deputies was originally set at 400, but has been increased twice since under constitutional amendments, most recently in July 1995, when a legislature of 550 members was established. The head of government is the prime minister, who represents the majority party or coalition in parliament. The president, as chief of state, is chosen by parliament for a seven-year term. All citizens over the age of 18 years are entitled to vote.

B

Political Parties

All political parties were dissolved after the 1980 coup, and leaders of the Republican People’s Party and the Justice Party were subsequently barred from taking part in national politics for at least ten years. Organizations formed to contest the 1983 elections included the Nationalist Democracy Party, the Populist Party, and the Motherland Party, which won parliamentary majorities in both 1983 and 1987. The True Path Party (DYP) won the largest number of seats in the 1991 election, forming a coalition with the Social Democratic People’s Party. In May 1999 a coalition government was formed that included the National Action Party, the Motherland Party, and the Democratic Left Party. After the 2002 and 2007 elections the most seats were held by the Justice and Development Party (AKP; Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi) and the Republican People’s Party (CHP; Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi).

C

Judiciary

Prior to the foundation of the Turkish Republic, much of Turkish civil law was based on the Koran. The transition to a secular state resulted in elements from Swiss, German, and Italian legal codes being adopted and changed to accommodate Turkish customs and traditions. There is a unified legal system of civil and military courts, each with a Court of Appeal sitting in Ankara, and the Council of State is the highest administrative tribunal. Under the 1982 constitution, a constitutional court reviews the constitutionality of laws passed by parliament, and a court of cassation is the final court of appeal. There are many lesser civilian and military courts.