Assessment report : Elections and the Presidential System in Turkey

This latest assessment prepared for DPI by Prof. Dr. Sevtap Yokuş provides an analysis of the June 2018 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey and considers the potential impact of the structural transformation from a parliamentary to a presidential system of government on the checks and balances between government bodies, with reference to latest examples from practice. Methods of democratising politics as a means of balancing power under current circumstances and the development of local self-government in Turkey as a democratic mechanism that can serve social peace are then discussed. The author concludes that in order for Turkey to restart on a course of democratisation diverse voices including economic actors, civil society organisations and opposition parties all need to make more concerted demands for democratisation, freedoms, and the resolution of the conflict through political means. Sevtap Yokuş is Professor at the Department of Constitutional Law, Altinbaş University. The views and opinions expressed in this assessment are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DPI.