Turkish constitutional referendum

Turkish constitutional referendum. The Turkish constitutional referendum was held on April 16, 2017, in which the Turkish people voted on a set of Constitutional amendments proposed by the Justice and Development Party led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Nationalist Movement Party led by Devlet Bahçeli. The referendum aimed to transform Turkey's Parliamentary system into a Presidential system, granting the President of Turkey more powers, similar to those of the President of the United States and the President of France. The referendum was closely watched by the European Union, the United Nations, and other international organizations, including the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

● Introduction

The Turkish constitutional referendum was a significant event in Turkey's history, marking a major shift in the country's political system, similar to the French constitutional referendum, 1962 and the United States presidential election, 2016. The referendum was held amidst a State of emergency declared by the Turkish government following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, which was thwarted by the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish National Police. The Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party campaigned in favor of the constitutional amendments, while the Republican People's Party led by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the Peoples' Democratic Party led by Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ opposed them, citing concerns about the Separation of powers and the potential for Authoritarianism, similar to the concerns raised during the Hungarian constitutional referendum, 2016.

● Background

The Turkish constitutional referendum was the result of a long process of constitutional reform in Turkey, which began with the 1982 Turkish constitutional referendum and continued with the 2010 Turkish constitutional referendum. The Justice and Development Party had been pushing for a Presidential system since its rise to power in the 2002 Turkish general election, with the support of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Abdullah Gül, and Bülent Arınç. The Nationalist Movement Party also supported the constitutional amendments, while the Republican People's Party and the Peoples' Democratic Party opposed them, citing concerns about the potential for Dictatorship and the erosion of Democracy, similar to the concerns raised during the Venezuelan constitutional referendum, 2007. The European Union, the United States, and other international organizations, including the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, closely watched the referendum, with Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn expressing concerns about the potential impact on Turkey's accession to the European Union.

● Proposed Changes

The proposed constitutional amendments aimed to transform Turkey's Parliamentary system into a Presidential system, granting the President of Turkey more powers, similar to those of the President of the United States and the President of France. The amendments included the abolition of the Office of the Prime Minister of Turkey, the reduction of the number of Members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey from 550 to 600, and the increase of the President of Turkey's term from 4 to 5 years, with the possibility of re-election, similar to the President of Russia and the President of China. The amendments also included changes to the Judicial system of Turkey, including the reduction of the number of Judges of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from 17 to 15, and the increase of the President of Turkey's influence over the Judicial system of Turkey, similar to the Judicial system of the United States and the Judicial system of the United Kingdom. The Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party argued that the amendments would strengthen Turkey's Democracy and improve its Economic growth, while the Republican People's Party and the Peoples' Democratic Party argued that they would lead to Authoritarianism and the erosion of Democracy, similar to the concerns raised during the Polish constitutional crisis, 2015.

● Conduct of

the Referendum The Turkish constitutional referendum was conducted by the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey, with the support of the Turkish National Police and the Gendarmerie General Command. The referendum was held on April 16, 2017, with over 55 million Turkish people eligible to vote, including those living in Germany, France, and other European countries. The European Union and other international organizations, including the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, sent observers to monitor the referendum, with Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn expressing concerns about the potential for Electoral fraud and the impact on Turkey's accession to the European Union. The Republican People's Party and the Peoples' Democratic Party also raised concerns about the conduct of the referendum, citing reports of Voter suppression and Electoral irregularities, similar to the concerns raised during the Ukrainian presidential election, 2014.

● Results

The results of the Turkish constitutional referendum showed that 51.4% of voters supported the constitutional amendments, while 48.6% opposed them, with a turnout of over 85%, similar to the 2015 Turkish general election and the 2018 Turkish presidential election. The Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party declared victory, while the Republican People's Party and the Peoples' Democratic Party challenged the results, citing reports of Electoral irregularities and Voter suppression, similar to the concerns raised during the Azerbaijani presidential election, 2013. The European Union and other international organizations, including the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, expressed concerns about the potential impact of the referendum on Turkey's accession to the European Union and the country's Democracy, with Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn calling for an investigation into the allegations of Electoral irregularities.

● Aftermath

The aftermath of the Turkish constitutional referendum saw a significant shift in Turkey's political landscape, with the Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party consolidating their power, similar to the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt and the 2018 Turkish presidential election. The Republican People's Party and the Peoples' Democratic Party continued to oppose the constitutional amendments, citing concerns about the potential for Authoritarianism and the erosion of Democracy, similar to the concerns raised during the Hungarian constitutional referendum, 2016 and the Polish constitutional crisis, 2015. The European Union and other international organizations, including the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, continued to monitor the situation in Turkey, with Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn expressing concerns about the potential impact on Turkey's accession to the European Union and the country's Democracy, similar to the concerns raised during the Venezuelan constitutional referendum, 2007 and the Ukrainian presidential election, 2014. The Turkish people continued to debate the implications of the constitutional amendments, with some arguing that they would strengthen Turkey's Democracy and improve its Economic growth, while others argued that they would lead to Authoritarianism and the erosion of Democracy, similar to the concerns raised during the French constitutional referendum, 1962 and the United States presidential election, 2016. Category:Turkish elections