Governmental System Discussions Ahead of the 2023 Elections: Why the Nation Alliance’s Proposal for Semi-Presidentialism is not a Viable Option

Abstract

Ahead of the 2023 elections, one of the top items on Türkiye’s political agenda will relate to the different systems of government that various parties have proposed. The country overhauled its political system in 2017, replacing the parliamentary system with a Turkish-style presidential system. The differences between Türkiye’s system of government with the U.S. presidential system, along with other aspects of the Turkish system, have been the subject of public debate for a long time. Whereas the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) advocate the preservation of the current system, they have not completely ruled out potential revisions based on five years of experience. Türkiye’s opposition parties, in turn, unveiled a series of proposed constitutional amendments to which they collectively refer as the ‘augmented’ parliamentary system. This article analyzes the systems of government proposed by two major alliances, which will compete in the 2023 elections and the debates on their proposals.