Legislative power is vested in the unicameral Grand National Assembly,
consisting of 550 deputies elected every 5 years. Under the 1961
constitution,
the Grand National Assembly was a bicameral parliament with over 600 members.
The 1982 system represents an effort to avoid the imbalances and the challenges
to leadership that occurred under the larger, two-house legislature. And
the number of deputies was dropped to 450 which later in 1998 became 550.
The legislative term has been lengthened by one year under the new Constitution in an effort to reduce the preoccupation with campaigning that had contributed to Turkey's political fragmentation in the past. For the same reason, by-elections to fill vacant seats are to be held only once between general elections unless the number of vacancies reaches 5 percent of the total assembly membership. General elections may be held earlier than scheduled if a majority of deputies so decides or if a prolonged parliamentary deadlock occurs.
The Grand National Assembly is to convene on the first day of September and may not recess for more than three months a year. During an adjournment, the president may summon the assembly for an extraordinary session, either on his own initiative or at the written request of one-fifth of the members. The assembly has the power to enact, amend, and repeal laws and can pass legislation over the veto of the president. It also supervises the Council of Ministers and authorizes it to issue governmental decrees. It debates and approves the budget and makes decisions regarding the printing of currency. In addition, the assembly approves the ratification of international treaties and has the power to authorize a declaration of war. Although the Constitution provides for legislative controls over the executive in the form of written questions, investigations, and interpellations, whereby the Council of Ministers can be voted out of office, there are also procedures under which the parliament may delegate its lawmaking powers to the Council of Ministers.
Every Turkish citizen over the age of twenty-five is eligible to be a deputy,
provided that he/she has completed primary education and has not been
convicted of serious crime or been involved in "ideological and anarchistic
activities". Male candidates are required to have performed the compulsory
military service. Members of higher judicial and educational institutions
as well as civil servants and members of the armed forces must resign from
office before standing for election.
According to the Constitution, deputies represent the whole nation, not merely their own constituencies. A member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly wields more patronage and influence than do members of most other Western parliaments and is expected to intervene in the bureaucracy more actively and frequently.
Legislators are granted parliamentary immunities, such as freedom of speech and, with some qualifications, freedom from arrest. They can be deprived of their membership in the assembly by the decision of an absolute majority of its members. A deputy who resigns from his party may not be nominated as a candidate in the following elections by any party in existence at the time of his resignation.
Members of parliament have traditionally been a fairly young, educationally elite group; at least two-thirds of the deputies of every Grand National Assembly have been university educated. Whereas this has continued to be the case under the new constitutional system, there has been a shift in occupational representation away from a predominance of officials. A large portion of the deputies since 1983 have been lawyers, engineers, businessmen, and economists.
For the political parties in Turkey click here.
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Governments in Turkish Grand National Assembly
Muvakkat Icra Encümeni (25 April 1920-3 May 1920)
I. Icra Vekilleri Heyeti (3 May 1920-24 January 1921)
II. Icra Vekilleri Heyeti (24 January 1921-19 May 1921)
III. Icra Vekilleri Heyeti (19 May 1921-9 July 1922)
IV. Icra Vekilleri Heyeti (12 July 1922-4 August 1923)
V. Icra Vekilleri Heyeti (14 August 1923-27 October 1923)
Governments in Republic of Turkey
I.Inönü Government (30 October 1923-6 March 1924)
II. Inönü Government (6 March 1924-22 November 1924)
Okyar Government (22 November 1924-3 March 1925)
III. Inönü Government (3 March 1925-1 November 1927)
IV. Inönü Government (1 November 1927-27 September 1930)
V. Inönü Government (27 September 1930-4 May 1931)
VI. Inönü Government (4 May 1931-1 March 1935)
VII. Inönü Government (1 March 1935-1 November 1937)
I. Bayar Government (1 November 1937-11 November 1938)
II. Bayar Government (11 November 1938-25 January 1939)
I. Saydam Government (25 January 1939-3 April 1939)
II. Saydam Government (3 April 1939-9 July 1942)
I. Saraçoglu Government (9 July 1942-9 March 1943)
II. Saraçoglu Government (9 March 1943-7 August 1946)
Peker Government (7 August 1946-10 September 1947)
I. Saka Government (10 September 1947-10 June 1948)
II. Saka Government (10 June 1948-16 January 1949)
Günaltay Government (16 January 1949-22 May 1950)
II. Menderes Government (22 May 1950-9 March 1951)
II. Menderes Government (9 March 1951-17 May 1954)
III. Menderes Government (17 May 1954-9 December 1955)
IV. Menderes Government (9 December 1955-25 November 1957)
V. Menderes Government (25 November 1957-27 May 1960)
I. Gürsel Government (30 May 1960-5 January 1961)
II. Gürsel Government (5 January 1961-20 November 1961)
VIII. Inönü Government (20 November 1961-25 June 1962)
IX.Inönü Government (25 June 1962-25 December 1963)
X. Inönü Government (25 December 1963-20 February 1965)
Ürgüplü Government (20 February 1965-27 October 1965)
I. Demirel Government (27 October 1965-3 November 1969)
II. Demirel Government (3 November 1969-6 March 1970)
III. Demirel Government (6 March 1970-26 March 1971)
I. Erim Government (26 March 1971-11 December 1971)
II. Erim Government (11 December 1971-22 May 1972)
Melen Government (22 May 1972-15 April 1973)
Talu Government (15 April 1973-26 January 1974)
I. Ecevit Government (26 January 1974-17 November 1974)
Irmak Government (17 November 1974-31 March 1975)
IV. Demirel Government (31 March 1975-21 June 1977)
II. Ecevit Government (21 June 1977-21 July 1977)
V. Demirel Government (21 July 1977-5 January 1978)
III. Ecevit Government (5 January 1978-12 November 1979)
VI. Demirel Government (12 November 1979-12 September 1980)
Ulusu Government (20 September 1980-13 December 1983)
I. Özal Government (13 December 1983-21 December 1987)
II. Özal Government (21 December 1987-9 November 1989)
Akbulut Government (9 November 1989-23 June 1991)
Yılmaz Government (23 June 1991-20 November 1991)
VII. Demirel Government (20 November 1991-25 June 1993)
Çiller Government (25 June 1993-15 October 1995)
Çiller Government (15 October 1995-5 November 1995)
Çiller Government (5 November 1995-12 March 1996)
Yılmaz Government (12 March 1996-08 July 1996)
Erbakan Government (08 July 1996 - 30 June 1997)
Yılmaz Government (30 June 1997 -11 January 1999)
Ecevit Government (11 January 1999-28 May 1999)
Ecevit Government (28 May 1999-18 Nov 2002)
Gül Government (18 Nov 2002-11 Mar 2003)
Erdogan Government (14 Mar 2003 - ....)
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