Government and military in Turkey of the Third Republic period (1982-2017)

This article examines the role of the president in the internal political structure of Turkey. The author made an attempt to consider the powers of the president, according to the Constitution and the real political situation of the Turkish Republic. The article is based on the consequences of the events of the military coup of 1980 and the current political situation connected with the rule of the elected president of Turkey R.T. Erdogan, according to the reform of the Constitution of 2010. Despite the domination of the army inside Turkey, primarily from the political point of view, the president was the link between society and the army, between the political establishment and the military, between the General Staff and the Government of the Republic. These postulates from the outset were decisive in the 1980 Constitution. The military did not assume too much authority in terms of adopting and implementing political decisions. On the contrary, they tried after the 1980 coup to develop a new Constitution and hand over power to civilians. But the General Staff left behind one very important authority. It was a controlling function over the civil sphere of the political life of the country. The Turkish government was watched with a menacing eye by the country's top military leaders, who were trying to leave the country to live in line with secular laws to please the ideas of M.K. Atatürk. But the events of the late 20th century differ dramatically from those events that we are witnessing now, in the 21st century. At this point in the development of the Republic of Turkey in its internal political aspect, the military has completely lost the possibility of influencing life in the state and the control over the situation in the country is completely lost to them. As a result of the constitutional reforms of the current first elected president of Turkey, and then the prime minister, the powers of the president have expanded so much that in fact the entire state bureaucracy in the country is subordinated to him, and the role of the prime minister is abolished. The military, however, completely passed under the president's control in full submission to him.