Turkey is a republic, and its head is the president. According to the bill adopted in 2007, the leader of the state is elected by popular vote for a five-year term.
Prior to this law, according to the Constitution adopted in 1982, the President of Turkey was elected for a term of 7 years, and without the right to re-election. Today, the ruling
head of state has the possibility of re-election for a second term. After the inauguration, he is vested with a wide range of powers in the field of legislative, executive and judicial powers.
For example, the Turkish president, as a rule, appoints the secretary of the winning political party as the head of the executive branch, i.e. Prime Minister, and on his recommendation, a cabinet is being formed.
First President of Turkey
The first president of the Republic of Turkey was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He is the founder of the modern state of Turkey. During the First World War, he led the revolutionary movement, founded the Republican People's Party of Turkey, contributed to the liquidation of the government of the Sultan and the proclamation of the republic.
This happened in 1923. An ardent nationalist, he was intolerant of national minorities: Armenians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Yezidis, Assyrians, etc. It was under his leadership that the greatest atrocity of the 20th century was committed - the genocide of Armenians in 1915, as well as reprisal against other peoples living in the
Ottoman Empire. He called these anti-human acts ethnic cleansing. As for the Turkish people, Kemal Pasha, as the president of Turkey and as a true patriot, contributed in every way to his development: he introduced secular education in the country, carried out clothing reform, separated the state from religion, and adopted a new civil and criminal code corresponding to the European model.
In addition, he granted suffrage to women, contributed to the Latinization of the alphabet, the creation of banks and industry, and much more. Prominent politician, reformer and military leader Kemal Pasha is one of the most famous historical figures in the world.
Abdullah Gul - 11th President of Turkey
The current incumbent president of Turkey is Abdullah Gul. He was elected in August 2007 for a term of 7 years. That was before the constitution was amended. Therefore, he will have to stay in the president’s chair until 2014, and then, according to new legislation, he will have the opportunity to be re-elected for a second term, but this time not for 7, but for 5 years. Before becoming president, Abdullah Gul has come a long way: he studied economics, worked at a bank, was a deputy of the parliament, state. Minister and spokesman for the government, even the Prime Minister. Over the years, he has been awarded many awards by the rulers of various countries as a successful leader and president of Turkey. The year 2013 was marked for Gul by the beginning of the election campaign. Despite rumors that he may become the new chairman of NATO, Gul is steadily preparing for the presidential election in 2014.