The place and importance of the Turkish Grand National Assembly in the Presidential Government System

In contemporary states, because of the principle of separation of powers, the administrative powers are divided into legislative, executive and judicial powers. Since the judiciary is considered independent from the beginning in almost all administrations, government systems are named according to the relationship between legislative and executive powers. Given this context, the generally accepted government systems are the presidential system, the semi-presidential system and the parliamentary system. Turkey transitioned to constitutionalism with the proclamation of the Kanun-ı Esasi and was governed by a parliamentary system from that day until 2018. In 2007, the election of the President by the public was accepted in Turkey, and within this scope, for the first time, the President was elected by the public in the election held on August 10, 2014. Since then, the emergence of an elected President and an elected Grand National Assembly as powerful figures has sparked debates on the system of governance. With the referendum held on April 16, 2017, this dispute sought to be resolved with the attempt to gain acceptance of the change in the government system, and as of the elections on June 24, 2018, Turkey shifted from a parliamentary system to a Presidential Government System. The supporters of the Presidential Government System claims that the separation of powers has been achieved and the legislative body has been strengthened. Despite this claim, the Presidential Government System has been criticized on the grounds that it is not a presidential system in the classical sense, that it provides a system of unity of powers by putting legislation under the control of the executive, and that it lacks necessary tools for check and balance. As of 2023, the first five-year term of the Presidential Government System has ended and the second five-year term has started. The primary aim of this study is to examine the changes in the structure and effectiveness of the Turkish Grand National Assembly as a legislative body within the Presidential Government System. Keywords Presidential Government System, Legislation, Turkish Grand National Assembly, Separation of Powers, Presidential Decrees