Parliament of Turkey

Parliament of Turkey
Name	Grand National Assembly
Native name	Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi
Founded	23 April 1920
Predecessor	Ottoman Imperial Council
House type	Unicameral
Leader title	Speaker
Leader name	Numan Kurtulmuş
Members	600
Meeting place	Parliament Building, Ankara

Parliament of Turkey is the unicameral legislature seated at the Parliament Building in Ankara, established on 23 April 1920 as the Grand National Assembly. It succeeded institutions from the late Ottoman period and has been central to political transformations involving figures such as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, İsmet İnönü, Adnan Menderes, Turgut Özal, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The assembly interacts with institutions like the Presidency of Turkey, the Constitutional Court of Turkey, and international bodies including the Council of Europe and NATO.

History

The assembly originated during the Turkish War of Independence with the opening on 23 April 1920 in Ankara. Early legislation under leaders like Mustafa Kemal Atatürk abolished the Ottoman Empire's sultanate and led to the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) which recognized the Republic. Constitutional milestones include the 1924, 1961, and 1982 constitutions, each reflecting political crises such as the 1960 Turkish coup d'état and the 1980 Turkish coup d'état. Periods of single-party rule by the Republican People's Party and multi-party competition involving the Democrat Party (Turkey, 1946) and Justice and Development Party (AKP) shaped parliamentary practice. The assembly has enacted sweeping reforms under prime ministers and presidents including Celâl Bayar, Süleyman Demirel, Bülent Ecevit, and Abdüllatif Şener, while episodes like the 1971 Turkish coup d'état and the 1997 Turkish military memorandum influenced civil–military relations. Recent constitutional amendments and referendums, notably 2017 changes promoting a presidential system advocated by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP), have redefined legislative-executive relations.

Structure and Composition

The legislature is unicameral and composed of 600 members elected to represent provinces such as Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Antalya, and Diyarbakır. Seats are allocated by provincial constituencies under party-list proportional representation using the D'Hondt method; major parties include the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Republican People's Party, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Leadership includes the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and parliamentary groups like the parliamentary group leaders. Parliamentary staff and the Presidency of the Assembly administer legislative sessions. The assembly's legal basis derives from the Constitution of Turkey (1982), and membership is subject to eligibility rules and immunities governed by the Law on Parliamentary Immunity and disciplinary procedures influenced by rulings from the Constitutional Court of Turkey.

Powers and Functions

Constitutional competences include legislative authority, budgetary approval for agencies such as the Ministry of Finance and Treasury (Turkey), ratification of international agreements like the Treaty of Lausanne (1923), and oversight of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and cabinets such as the Council of Ministers (Turkey). The assembly can launch inquiries, vote no-confidence, and initiate constitutional amendment processes that have involved actors like the Constitutional Court of Turkey and the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK). It elects certain high officials to bodies including the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) and participates in declaring states of emergency as regulated by the Constitution of Turkey (1982). The assembly’s powers have been contested in cases brought before the European Court of Human Rights and during EU accession negotiations with the European Union.

Legislative Process

Legislation may originate from parliamentary deputies, parliamentary committees, or the Council of Ministers (Turkey). Draft laws are debated in plenary sessions before being amended in committee or floor votes; fiscal bills follow budget procedures involving the Ministry of Finance and Treasury (Turkey). Passage requires majority votes unless constitutional amendments demand qualified majorities and referenda, as demonstrated in the 2017 constitutional referendum process championed by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and opposed by the Republican People's Party. Enactment involves promulgation by the President of Turkey and review mechanisms including individual applications to the Constitutional Court of Turkey and, in some instances, appeals to the European Court of Human Rights.

Committees and Parliamentary Bodies

Permanent and temporary committees include the Planning and Budgetary Commission, the Constitutional Commission, the National Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Commission, and the Foreign Affairs Committee. These committees review bills, summon ministers such as the Minister of Interior (Turkey), and prepare reports for plenary votes. Other bodies include the Parliamentary Research Center, the Equality of Opportunity Commission, and disciplinary committees that adjudicate conduct by deputies. The assembly hosts delegations to interparliamentary organizations such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and friendship groups with states like Germany, United States, Russia, and China.

Relationship with the Executive and Judiciary

The assembly’s interactions with the Presidency of Turkey and executive ministries are shaped by constitutional separation of powers and political practice. Executive-legislative relations have varied across administrations from the single-party era under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to coalition cabinets involving figures like Necmettin Erbakan and minority governments. Judicial review by the Constitutional Court of Turkey can annul laws and impede executive initiatives; the assembly also participates in appointments to the Constitutional Court of Turkey and the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK). Tensions have arisen over checks and balances during crises involving the Supreme Court of Appeals (Yargıtay) and the State Council (Danıştay).

Elections and Political Representation

Members are elected in general elections regulated by the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) using party-list proportional representation and electoral thresholds. Key contested elections include those in 1950, 1965, 1983, 2002, 2011, and 2018, which reshaped party systems involving the Democrat Party (Turkey, 1946), Motherland Party (ANAP), Welfare Party (Refah Partisi), and more recent formations such as the Good Party. Representation debates concern electoral thresholds, minority rights for communities like Kurds in Turkey, gender quotas advocated by civil society groups, and the role of parties such as the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in parliament. International election observation missions from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the European Union have monitored Turkish elections and reported on standards relating to the electoral framework.

Category:Politics of Turkey