As expected, on July 1 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally announced his bid to become Turkey’s first popularly elected president. We already know that if elected, Erdogan is unlikely to follow the “balanced” profile of outgoing President Abdullah Gul.
Following the Sept. 12, 1980, coup, the military, assuming that the president would always be one of its own, equipped the head of state — “if need be” — with constitutional powers pushing the limits of the parliamentary system. Under Turkey’s constitution, the president has a wide range of powers such as appointing the chief of general staff, chairing the Council of Ministers and even calling parliamentary elections. Gul as well as his predecessors used those powers only symbolically, leaving all critical decisions to the government and the prime minister. A low presidential profile is actually what Turkey’s parliamentary system requires. Under the current constitutional system in Turkey, the president is considered to be neutral and not a member of a political party.