Will Erdoğan’s “Executive Presidency” Ensure Stability in Turkey?

While efforts to annul the vote on Turkey’s system of governance will likely fail, the referendum’s legitimacy will continue to be questioned by many Turks, ensuring continued instability.

by Ali Kincal

The answer is a resounding “No.” But first, some background.

On April 16, 2017, Turkey voted to change its system of governance from a parliamentary system to an “executive presidency.” In practice, this means so many current checks and balances on the executive will be eliminated.

According to Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council (known by its…