Turkey: A New Term for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Begins

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will begin a new term as President of Turkey on July 9. With the political system in Turkey shifting from parliamentary to presidential, Erdoğan will soon gain more power. Erdoğan has held power in Turkey for over 15 years; first as Prime Minister and since 2014 as President. He won more than 52% of the votes in the presidential elections on June 24, thus remaining in his position without the need for a second round of voting. In a referendum held in April 2017, just before half of the citizens voted for changes to the constitution that would increase the powers of the presidency. The 2017 referendum was controversial. Opponents of the constitutional changes criticized the Supreme Election Board's decision to count ballots without stamps and stated they would challenge the results, but Erdoğan dismissed the criticisms as 'a futile effort.' With the implementation of the referendum results and the abolition of the Prime Minister's post, the President of Turkey will hold the main power. Erdoğan and his supporters claim that the presidential system brings 'stability and wealth,' while opponents argue it leads to 'dictatorship' and sets the stage for 'repression and violations of individual freedoms.' On July 8, Erdoğan stated, 'With the presidential oath ceremony, Turkey is entering a new era.' According to the Turkish President, 22 presidents, 17 prime ministers, as well as deputy prime ministers and speakers of parliament from other countries will attend the ceremony on Monday. As reported by Iranian news agencies, the Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade of Hassan Rouhani's government will participate in the swearing-in ceremony. Dmitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister of Russia, will also head to Ankara. Erdoğan's swearing-in ceremony takes place while the expulsion of government employees and operations to arrest hundreds of citizens accused by Ankara of 'acting against national security,' proximity to Fethullah Gülen, or connections to the coup two years ago continue. Since the failed coup attempt in the summer of two years ago, which left nearly 250 dead, thousands have been arrested and imprisoned in Turkey, thousands more have lost their jobs, and hundreds are still awaiting trial. Reports from the acting Chief of Staff of the Turkish Army indicate that over 190 people have been killed as a result of the clashes in Turkey, including 47 civilians and 104 military personnel involved in the coup. Critics of the Turkish government say that the government has used the coup attempt as an excuse to suppress its critics and opponents. The Turkish government has denied these accusations.