The Executive Branch

Updated April 2026

Since the 2017 constitutional amendments came into force following the elections of 24 June 2018, Türkiye has had a unified executive. Executive authority is vested solely in the President of the Republic; the office of Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers requiring a vote of confidence, and the parliamentary Cabinet structure have all been abolished.

The President of the Republic

Under Articles 101–107 of the Constitution, the President is the Head of State and the sole holder of executive authority. The President represents the Republic of Türkiye and the unity of the Turkish nation.

Eligibility

• Turkish citizen aged at least 40.
• Has completed higher education.
• Is eligible to be elected as a deputy.

Election and term

The President is elected directly by universal suffrage to a five-year term and may serve no more than two terms. If the Assembly calls early elections during a President’s second term, the incumbent may stand again (Constitution, Art. 116).

A candidate is elected if they receive an absolute majority (more than 50 %) of valid votes cast in the first round. Otherwise a runoff is held on the second Sunday following the first ballot, between the two candidates with the highest vote totals.

Nomination

Candidates may be nominated either by political parties that, individually or in alliance, received at least 5 % of the valid votes in the previous parliamentary election, or by collecting one hundred thousand certified signatures from voters (Constitution, Art. 101).

Functions and powers

• Legislative. Promulgating laws, returning them to the Assembly for reconsideration, and calling referendums on constitutional amendments.
• Executive. Issuing Presidential Decrees on matters relating to executive power, appointing and dismissing Vice Presidents and Ministers, and acting as Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish Armed Forces.
• Appointments. Selecting members of the Constitutional Court, the Council of State, the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), governors, ambassadors, and other senior officials.
• National security. Chairing the National Security Council and the Cabinet.

Presidential Decrees

The President may issue Presidential Decrees on matters of executive power. Decrees may not regulate fundamental rights or matters reserved by the Constitution to legislation. Where a statute and a decree address the same subject, the statute prevails (Constitution, Art. 104).

The Cabinet

The Council of Ministers has been replaced by the Presidential Cabinet, comprising the President, the Vice President(s) and the Ministers. Ministers are appointed and dismissed by the President without a vote of confidence and are responsible to the President. A sitting deputy who is appointed minister must resign their seat in the TBMM.

The National Security Council

The National Security Council (Milli Güvenlik Kurulu, MGK) is the principal advisory body on national security policy. Under the post-2017 framework it is composed of:

• The President (chair)
• The Vice Presidents
• The Ministers of Justice, National Defence, Interior, and Foreign Affairs
• The Chief of the General Staff
• The Commanders of the Land, Naval, and Air Forces

Public administration

The administration of Türkiye is organised around two complementary principles: central administration and local administration (Constitution, Arts. 126–127).

Central administration

Türkiye is divided into 81 provinces (iller), which are further subdivided into districts (ilçeler). Each province is headed by a Governor (Vali) appointed by the President; each district by a District Governor (Kaymakam).

Local administration

Local administrations are public corporations whose decision-making organs — mayors and municipal councils — are elected by the local electorate every five years. They consist of Special Provincial Administrations, Municipalities, and Villages. Large urban centres including Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Bursa and Antalya have Metropolitan Municipality status with broader competences over infrastructure and city-wide services.

Presidents of the Republic of Türkiye