Changes in Presidential Election Law in Turkey – Progress in the Democratisation Process?

Abstract

The adoption of the new presidential election system in Turkey has strengthened the democratic legitimacy of the head of state, by virtue of the presidency now being determined by popular vote. The new law, however, has many democratic deficits. Moreover, the circumstances of its adoption as well as coupling it with the introduction of a particular type of presidential system, tends to indicate that the intentions of the AKP leaders have less to do with the willingness to democratize the country than with political interests. Paradoxically, as a result, a theoretically more democratic presidential election law can open the door for the enhancement of authoritarian tendencies in the Turkish state. One consequence of introducing the presidential system to strengthen the president’s office by way of popular vote, is that it can create too strong an executive power which is not sufficiently balanced by other institutions forming the Turkish political system – both nationally and at regional/local level.