Turkey: Ergodan begins new mandate, more powerful than ever

Fifteen years after taking office for the first time, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in on Monday for a new five-year presidential term, this time with vast powers. On June 24, Erdogan was reelected by winning the presidential election in the first round with 52.6% of the vote, far ahead of his competitors.

Erdogan's accession to this "hyper-presidency" comes almost two years after an attempted coup on July 15, 2016, led by factious soldiers and followed by large purges including within the armed forces, police and administrations, with the arrest or dismissal of tens of thousands of people.

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This new status, described by the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper as the "one-man regime," makes Erdogan a president who concentrates a lot of the powers. Erdogan justifies this system as a guarantee of efficiency in meeting the challenges facing Turkey

Hyperpresidency in detail

In the new system, the post of prime minister, occupied by Binali Yildirim, will be abolished. It is now the head of state who will hold the entire executive power and may promulgate decrees.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also be able to appoint six of the thirteen members of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), appointing and removing the judiciary.

And, as the president is also the leader of his political party, "he will have control of the members of his party, which means that the president will have control over the the executive, judicial and legislative branches of the country, "says Emre Erdogan, Professor of Political Science at Istanbul Bilgi University.

Alliance with the ultranationalist MHP

Erdogan" will now have the institutional and legal support to control virtually everything Says Ayse Ayata, Professor of Political Science at the Technical University of the Middle East (Ödtü) in Ankara.

In the parliamentary elections which are held At the same time as the presidential election, Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) won 295 seats out of 600, and its ultranationalist ally MHP 49 seats.

Thus, in the new the legislature, the AKP does not have the sole majority and will count on the support of the MHP to control parliament. But "over time, the MHP could reconsider its position and formulate requirements," such as positions in government, concessions or jobs, said Ms. Ayata. For some the alliance with the MHP could lead to a hardening of the policy led by Erdogan, especially on the Kurdish question.

"Institutionalized Autocracy"

"The bulk of the powers will be concentrated in his hands, he There will be more Prime Minister and almost none of the checks and balances procedures of a liberal democracy. In other words, Turkey will be an institutionalized autocracy, "badyzes Marc Pierini researcher at the Carnegie Institute Europe.

Erdogan must now present a new tight government that should have 16 ministries against 26 (not counting the Prime Minister) currently. Several ministries will therefore be merged, such as the Ministry of European Affairs, which will now be part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The presidency will also rely on "commissions" and offices devoted to various sectors, although the details of their skills are not yet known