Electing a New President
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[edit] Electing a New President in Turkey
[edit] Who Votes for the Candidates?
In the Republic of Turkey, the Grand National Assembly members elect the new president. The Grand National Assembly is composed of 550 members who are elected by popular vote and “represent the nation as a whole.” [1] The Grand National Assembly, also known as “Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi–TBMM”[2] or Parliament, must have one-third of its members present to meet quorum, which is needed in order for the TBMM to convene.
[edit] Requirements
Elections for the new president shall begin within thirty days of the expiration of the current president’s term of office or within ten days of the office being vacant after the incumbent’s term has expired.[3] A candidate is eligible to run for president if he has “completed secondary education and [is] at least forty years old.[4]” The day that the president is elected, he is sworn in to office by taking an oath in front of the TBMM. He can be president for “a term of seven years.”[5] If the newly-elected president is a member of a political party, he “shall sever his relations with his party and his status as a member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly shall cease[6].” Although the president cannot be reelected for office, he can extend his term until the new president-elect takes office.
[edit] Election Process
The presidential election process can have as many as four ballots. During the first, one candidate must receive two-thirds majority vote (367 votes) of the TBMM in order to win the election. If two-thirds of the votes are not cast for one candidate, a second ballot will be held at least three days after the first election. Like the first election, two-thirds majority vote must be achieved by one candidate in order to win. If again one single candidate does not receive two-thirds of the votes, then a third ballot shall be held.
The president will be elected from this third ballot if the candidate receives an absolute majority vote of the TBMM[7]. An absolute majority requires “a majority of all elected members”[8] whether they are present or not. If still a new president cannot be elected after three times, a run-off will be held between the two candidates with the most votes from the third ballot. The candidate with the absolute majority (267 votes) in the run-off will then become the new President of the Republic. If all four ballots are executed and the Grand National Assembly still has not been able to elect a new president, the election process shall immediately begin all over again.
The constitution says that only one-third of the elected members are required for quorum, however the voting process requires the votes of at least two-thirds of the elected members in order for a new president to be elected. This left room for interpretation, which caused problems with Parliament. In May of 2007, Parliament defined exactly how many members had to be present in order to start the election process; two-thirds (367) must be present and two-thirds must also vote for a single candidate in order to elect a new president.[9] Otherwise, it went to the third ballot.
[edit] Sources
[1] Nyrop, Richard F., ed. Turkey: a Country Study. Washington, D.C.: The American University, 1980. 191.
[2] Carkoglu, Ali, and Ersin Kalaycioglu. Turkish Democracy Today: Elections, Protest and Stability in an Islamic Society. New York: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 2007. 1.
[3] "The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey." Office of the Prime Minister, Directorate General of Press and Information. 30 Oct. 2007 <[1]>.
[4] Coutsoukis, Photius. "Turkey President, Council of Ministers, and Prime Minister." Geographic.Org. 27 Mar. 2005. 30 Oct. 2007 <[2]>.
[5] "Turkey." LegislatiONline. 2006. OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. 30 Oct. 2007 <[3]>.
[6] "The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey." Office of the Prime Minister, Directorate General of Press and Information. 30 Oct. 2007 <[4]>.
[7] Ibid
[8] Vermeule, Adrian. "Absolute Majority Rules." British Journal of Political Science 37 (2007): 643-658. Academic Search Premier. Cambridge University Press. UCF, Orlando. 30 Oct. 2007. Keyword: absolute majority.
[9] "FACTBOX: Turkish Presidential Election Procedure." Reuters. 28 Apr. 2007. 30 Oct. 2007 <[5]>.
