Presidentialism vs. Parliamentarism in Turkey

In Turkey, the debate has re-sparked over the switch to a presidential or semi-presidential system. This brief cautions against this change for two reasons. First, Turkey currently does not have a classic parliamentary model. It has been described as a "hybrid" system between parliamentarism and semipresidentialism. Second, governmental instability and ineffectiveness are not the necessary fate of a parliamentary government. In fact, it is a semi-presidential system, particularly when the presidency and the parliamentary majority are controlled by opposing parties, which is particularly vulnerable to crises and deadlocks. While Turkey needs to write a new constitution and raise its democratic standards, the debate on parliamentarism vs. presidentialism would be a damaging distraction.

Paper produced within the framework of the project Turkey, Europe and the World. Publ. in IAI Research Paper 9.