Government and Politics of Turkey

Government Type

republican parliamentary democracy

Administrative Divisions

81 provinces (iller, singular - il); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyon, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak

Legal System

derived from various European continental legal systems; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Turkey dual citizenship recognized: yes, but requires prior permission from the government residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Executive Branch

chief of state: President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 28 August 2014; re-elected 28 May 2023) head of government: President Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 9 July 2018, when the office of prime minister was abolished and executive powers were consolidated under the presidency following the constitutional reforms approved by referendum in April 2017) cabinet: Cabinet (formerly Council of Ministers) appointed by the president elections: President directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 14 May 2023, with a runoff on 28 May 2023; under the presidential system adopted in 2018, the office of prime minister was eliminated election results: Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN re-elected president in the second round; percent of vote in runoff - Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (AKP) 52.2%, Kemal KILICDAROGLU (CHP) 47.8% note: Turkey transitioned from a parliamentary to a presidential system of government on 9 July 2018, following constitutional amendments approved in a national referendum on 16 April 2017; under the new system, the president serves as both head of state and head of government, with significantly expanded executive authority

Legislative Branch

unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 November 2002 (next to be held in 2007); note - a special rerun of the General Election in the province of Siirt on 9 March 2003 resulted in the election of Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for becoming prime minister, on 14 March 2003 election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 34.3%, CHP 19.4%, DYP 9.6%, MHP 8.3%, Anavatan 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and other; seats by party - AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note - parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; seats by party as of 1 December 2005 - AKP 357, CHP 154, ANAVATAN 22, DYP 4, SHP 4, HYP 1, independents 4, vacant 4

Judicial Branch

Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court

Political Parties

Anavatan Partisi (once was Motherland Party) or ANAVATAN [Erkan MUMCU]; Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic People's Party or DEHAP [Tuncer BAKIRHAN]; Felicity Party (sometimes translated as Contentment Party) or SP [Necmettin ERBAKAN]; Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Emin SIRIN]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi Partisi) or HYP [Yasr Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party) or DYP [Mehmet AGAR] note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004

Head of State

Abdullah GUL

Head of Government

Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN

Cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister

Elections

president elected directly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament

Election Results

on 28 August 2007 the National Assembly elected Abdullah GUL president on the third ballot; National Assembly vote - 339

Constitution

7-Nov-82

Independence

29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 29 October (1923)

International Organization Participation

AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.

chief of mission: Ambassador Nabi SENSOY chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

U.S. Diplomatic Representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Ross WILSON embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823 telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555 FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019 consulate(s) general: Istanbul consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir

Capital City

Ankara

Location

39 56 N, 32 52 E

Time Difference

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

History

Ankara has been linked with a second millennium B.C. Hittite cult center of Ankuwash, although this connection is uncertain; in classical and medieval times, the city was known as Ankyra (meaning "anchor" in Greek and reflecting the city's position as a junction for multiple trade and military routes); by about the 13th century the city began to be referred to as Angora; following the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, the city's name became Ankara

U.S. Embassy in Ankara 110 Atatürk Boulevard, 06100, Kavaklidere Telephone: (90) (312) 455-5555 Emergency after-hours telephone: (90) (312) 455-5555 Facsimile: (90) (312) 468-6131 Visa Information: (90) 850-252-6355 or Visa Information U.S. Based Callers please use: (703) 439-2348 Skype ID: usvisaturkey American Citizens Services Questions U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul Uçsehitler Sokagi No. 2, 34460, Istinye, Sariyer Telephone: (90) (212) 335-9000 Emergency after-hours telephone: (90) (212) 335–9000 (ask for American Citizen Services) Facsimile: (90) (212) 335–9102 Visa Information: (90) 850-252-6355 or Visa Information U.S. Based Callers please use: (703) 439-2348 Skype ID: usvisaturkey acs_istanbul@state.gov U.S. Consulate in Adana Girne Bulvari No. 212, Güzelevler Mahallesi, Yüregir Telephone: (90) (322) 346-6262 Facsimile: (90) (322) 346-7916 CA-adana@state.gov U.S. Consular Agent in Izmir Telephone: (90) (232) 464-8755 Izmir@state.gov

Military Branches

Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Turkish Land Forces (Turk Kara Kuvvetleri), Turkish Naval Forces (Turk Deniz Kuvvetleri; includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Forces (Turk Hava Kuvvetleri)

Service Age and Obligation

21-41 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary service; 15 months conscript obligation for non-university graduates, 6-12 months for university graduates; conscripts are called to register at age 20, for service at 21; women serve in the Turkish Armed Forces only as officers; reserve obligation to age 41; under a law passed in November 2011, men aged 30 and older, or who have worked 3 years in foreign countries, may pay $16,200 in lieu of mandatory military service