What are the Drivers of Constitutional Change in Turkey?

Özge Korkmaz Şahbaz

doi:10.22151/politikon.54.1

Authors

Özge Korkmaz Şahbaz Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.54.1

Keywords:

Constitutional Changes, Institutional Change Theories, Regime Changes, Regime Transitions, Turkey

Abstract

This paper explores the reasons for the last constitutional reform in Turkey. This paper argues that the strong Presidency in the 1982 constitution and 2007 amendments paved the way for the presidential reform in Turkey and the internal fragmentation and weakening tutelage of the military opened a window for institutional change. The power of Erdogan for mobilization of masses and the strong personalization of power around him provided a resource for the last constitutional reform. The failed coup attempt on 15 July 2016 triggered the regime change. The study was conducted by employing the method of causal process tracing and the theory of windows of opportunity as well as different approaches of path-dependence. This paper contributes to the literature by exploring the reasons for the institutional change by considering its historical and political context.

Author Biography

Özge Korkmaz Şahbaz, Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University

Özge Korkmaz Şahbaz is a PhD candidate and teaching assistant at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Ankara University in 2015. In 2018, she obtained an MA in Political Science at the University of Essex in UK. Her interests include comparative politics, Turkish politics, migration and identity studies. Email: ozge.sahbaz@hbv.edu.tr.