The President of Turkey is the head of state of the Republic of Turkey. The
Presidency is largely a ceremonial office but has some important functions.
In this capacity, the President represents the Republic of Turkey, and
the unity of the Turkish nation, as well as ensuring the implementation of the
Constitution of Turkey and the organized and harmonious functioning of the organs
of state. The articles from 101 to 106 of the Constitution establish all the
requirements, election, duties, and responsibilities for the office of the
President. The office of the President of Turkey was established with the
proclamation of the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923. The President of
Turkey is often informally referred to as the Reis-i Cumhur, meaning 'President
of the People'. The current office-holder is the 12th President,
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan since August 28, 2014.
Living former Presidents Qualifications
In order to become the President of Turkey, the candidate must have
completed higher education, be at least forty years of age.
The president-elect has to sever his relations, if any, with his political
party, and his status as a member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly must
cease. Election
The election of the President must begin at least 30 days before the term of
office of the incumbent president expires or 10 days after the presidency
falls vacant, and must be completed within 30 days of the beginning of the
election. Candidates must be declared to the bureau of the parliament within the
first 10 days of this period, and elections must be completed within the
remaining 20 days. Formerly, the President was elected by
the members of the Turkish Parliament. According to an amendment that was
drafted in 2007, the future Presidents shall be elected by the citizens through
a public vote. The candidates must be over forty years old and must have
completed their higher education. They can either be members of the Turkish
Parliament, or common Turkish citizens who fulfill these requirements and who
are eligible to become members of parliament.
Term of office The President is selected for a term of
office of five years, and can be re-elected only once.
The term of office of the incumbent president continues until the
President-elect takes office. On assuming office, the president takes
the following oath before the parliament:
In my capacity as President of the Republic, I swear upon my honor and
repute before the great Turkish nation and before history to safeguard the
existence and independence of the state, the indivisible integrity of country and
nation, and the sovereignty of the nation without restriction or
stipulation; to abide by the Constitution, the rule of law,
democracy, the principles and reforms of Atatürk, and the principle of a secular
republic; not to deviate from the ideal of all enjoying human rights and basic
freedoms in peace, prosperity and in a spirit of national solidarity and
justice; to preserve and enhance the glory and honor of the Republic of
Turkey and to work with all my strength to perform with impartiality the
functions that I have assumed. Duties and responsibilities
= Legislative functions = to deliver, if he deems it necessary,
the opening address of the parliament on the first day of the legislative year,
to summon the parliament to meet, when necessary,
to promulgate laws, to return laws to the parliament to be
reconsidered, to submit to referendum, if he deems it
necessary, legislation regarding amendment of the constitution,
to appeal to the Constitutional Court for the annulment of certain provisions
or the entirety of laws, decrees having the force of law, and the Rules of
Procedure of the parliament on the grounds that they are unconstitutional
in form or in content, to call new elections for the parliament
= Executive functions = to appoint and to accept the resignation
of the prime minister, to appoint and dismiss ministers upon
the proposal of the prime minister, to preside over the council of ministers
or to call the council of ministers to meet under his chairmanship whenever he
deems it necessary, to accredit representatives of the
Turkish State to foreign states, and to receive the representatives of foreign
states appointed to the Republic of Turkey,
to ratify and promulgate international treaties,
to represent the Supreme Military Command of the Turkish Armed Forces on
behalf of the Turkish Grand National Assembly,
to decide on the mobilization of the Turkish Armed Forces,
to appoint the Chief of the General Staff,
to call the National Security Council to meet,
to preside over the National Security Council,
to proclaim martial law or state of emergency, and to issue decrees having
the force of law, upon a decision of the council of ministers meeting under his
chairmanship, to sign decrees,
to grant full or partial clemency, on grounds of chronic illness, disability,
or old age, all or part of the sentences imposed on certain individuals
to appoint the members and the chairman of the State Supervisory Council,
to instruct the State Supervisory Council to carry out inquiries,
investigations and inspections, to appoint the members of the Higher
Education Council, to appoint rectors of universities.
= Judiciary functions = to appoint the members of the
Constitutional Court, one-fourth of the members of the Council of State, the
Chief Public Prosecutor and the Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor of the Higher
Court of Appeals, the members of the Military High Court of Appeals, the
members of the Supreme Military Administrative Court and the members of
the Supreme Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors.
The president performs also the duties of selection and appointment, and other
duties conferred by the constitution and laws.
Accountability and non-accountability All presidential decrees, except those
which the president is empowered to enact on his own, must be signed by the
prime minister and the minister concerned, in accordance with the
provisions of the constitution and other laws. Thus the prime minister and the
concerned ministers are accountable for these decrees. The decisions and orders
signed by the president on his own initiatives may not be appealed against
to any judicial authority, including the Constitutional Court. The president may
be impeached for high treason on the proposal of at least one-third of the
total number of the members of the parliament, and by the decision of at
least three-fourths of the total number of the members.
Acting President In the event of a temporary absence of
the President on account of illness, travel abroad or similar circumstances,
the Speaker of the Parliament serves as Acting President, and exercises the
powers of the President until the President resumes his functions, and in
the event that the Presidency falls vacant as a result of death or
resignation or for any other reason, until the election of a new president.
See also Air transports of heads of state and
government Official state car
Presidential Palace, Ankara – New Presidential Palace Compound of the
Republic of Turkey List of Presidents of Turkey
Presidential Guard Regiment References
External links President's website