Comparative examination of the presidential systems of Azerbaijan and Turkey

Azerbaijan and Turkey are two states that are in close proximity and similarity in many fields, especially in the historical, cultural and political fields. In addition to this similarity, which is rarely seen in the history of the world, there are also some differences. One of these differences between the two countries is the government systems that were born and adopted under the influence of the political histories of the states. With the independence obtained in Azerbaijan after the domination of the Soviet Union, which ended in 1991, the Presidency, which has a strong position in the political system, was established. This government system in Azerbaijan has been carried to the present day. Although Turkey's political design is in constant transformation, it has been shaped on the basis of parliamentarism, where the executive power is used by two different wings and the President has limited powers. On the other hand, the change in the constitution of Turkey with the referendum in 2017 has eliminated this difference between the two states. In Turkey, the executive power has passed only to the Presidency and the President has evolved into a powerful position within the political model. Today, Azerbaijan and Turkey have unique government systems that are evaluated within the presidential system. The study has been shaped on the basis of the question of whether the presidential system of Azerbaijan, which was formed after the independence and has undergone some revisions, and Turkey's presidential system, which was created with the constitutional amendment in 2017, have similar structures. In the study, the political models of Azerbaijan and Turkey were first revealed by examining the primary and secondary sources related to the subject. Afterwards, similarities and differences in the government systems of Azerbaijan and Turkey were determined and revealed. With the study, it has been seen that the President has a key role and important powers, based on the strong executive understanding in the political systems of both countries. However, some institutional and authority differences have been identified that prevent the two countries' government systems from being seen as completely the same.