The 2nd Regional Presidential System meeting within the scope of “Turkey Discusses the Presidential System” took place on April 14, 2013, with the participation of Prof. Dr. Burhan Kuzu, the Chairman of the Constitutional Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), at the AK Party Provincial Presidency.
The meeting was attended by AK Party Provincial Chairman Aziz Babuşcu, Giyasettin Eyyüpkoca, the President of LASİAD (Laleli Industrialists and Businessmen Association), and many other invitees.
“We can finish what we have accumulated in 6 months”
During the meeting, Prof. Dr. Burhan Kuzu, the Chairman of the Constitutional Committee of the TBMM and Istanbul Deputy, made statements regarding the Presidential System, stating, “If a coalition period comes in Turkey, someday, as the AK Party, what we have accumulated will be finished in 6 months.” Kuzu mentioned that during coalition periods, an election threshold is inevitably imposed, but when transitioning to a presidential system, all thresholds will be lifted. He emphasized that this system was introduced for stability reasons so that there wouldn’t be a coalition in the presidential system, and therefore, there would be no need for a threshold.
“A country having a federal structure does not necessitate a presidency”
Kuzu touched upon the future of the presidential system and the “narrow district system,” stating that there would not be a parliament that “does what the leaders say,” and there would be deputies with “free conscience.” Mentioning that having a federal structure in a country does not necessarily require a presidency, Kuzu pointed out examples like Germany, which currently has a parliamentary model but a federal structure, and indicated that a country having a federal structure does not necessitate a presidency, saying, “Germany is currently a parliamentary model but with a federal structure. New Zealand, Canada are like this… So having a federal structure in a country does not mean a presidency is necessary. There is no such thing as ‘if there is a presidency, there must be a federal structure.'”
