News / Turkey

Turkey set to shake up key institutions

Sunday, 15 July 2018 10:28 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 15 July 2018 10:31 AM ]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Photo by AFP)

Turkey has issued a raft of presidential decrees, shaking up key institutions as the country moves towards changing its current parliamentary ruling system to an executive presidential one.

According to the Official Gazette, a total of seven decrees were released on Sunday effecting changes within the main political, military, and bureaucratic bodies.

Among other things, the decrees brought the General Staff under the authority of the defense minister, and mandated alterations in the Defense Industry Directorate, the Secretariat of the National Security Council, and the State Supervisory Council.

Last year, the public took part in a referendum, voting in favor of changing Turkey's ruling mechanism to the presidential system.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party have been moving fast to bring about the structural changes necessary to introduce the system after emerging victorious in presidential and parliamentary elections last month.

Earlier in the month, the country issued a decree, giving more power to the head of state by enabling him to bypass the parliament in forming and regulating ministries and removing civil servants.