Grand National Assembly of Turkey
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey is the national legislature of Turkey.
Description
The assembly is composed of 600 deputies elected in 87 electoral districts. Within each district, the delegation is elected by party list proportional representation. A party much achieve at least 7% of the national vote to qualify for representation. Independent candidates can also run without needing to meet a threshold.
The assembly is led by a speaker elected from the deputies. The speaker does not vote.
Parliament convenes for a 4 year term, unless snap elections are called.
History
The assembly began as the provisional parliamentary government convened in Ankara. The prime minister was the head of government. The presidency was to be elected by the assembly immediately following national elections. To legitimize the Turkish War of Independence, President Kemal Atatürk drafted a short constitution and had it ratified by the assembly.
The assembly formally declared a Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923. The next year, they ratified the new Constitution of 1924. It provided for a powerful presidency elected by the assembly. It also guaranteed the right to vote for anyone at least 18 years old. Amendments to the constitution in the 1930s extended this to women as well.
A coup was launched on May 27, 1960 and handed power to a National Unity Committee. Law professors from Istanbul and Ankara Universities were summoned to draft the Constitution of 1961, which introduced an upper house. Although a majority of senators were to be elected, 15 were appointed by the junta.
Another coupe was launched on 12 September, 1980. The Constitution of 1982, ratified through a referendum held in November 1982, re-established the unicameral assembly and placed severe restrictions on the democratic process. It introduced a requirement that parties win 10% of the national vote to qualify for representation. It stipulated that the junta would automatically transition into a presidential council and serve for 6 years after the elections. Thereafter the office of the presidency would be restored, but they would serve 7 year terms rather than be elected upon convening a new president. A president must be elected by a two-thirds majority in the first two rounds of voting, or by a simple majority from the third round on.
In an attempt to bar presidential election in April 2007, opposition parties boycotted the vote. The constitutional court reaffirmed that two-thirds quorum was required for a legitimate vote. Snap elections were called for July, through which a president was finally elected in August. At the same time, constitutional amendments were drafted to prevent this situation from repeating. Most importantly, these provided for direct election of presidents. The terms of presidents were reduced to 5 years, with a two term limit. The parliamentary term was also reduced from 5 years to 4. Lastly, quorum in the assembly was reduced to one-third. These amendments were ratified by a referendum in October.
The parliamentary style of government, including the office of prime minister, was abolished by referendum in 2017.
The electoral threshold was amended to 7% by referendum in 2022.