Constitution of Turkey (1982)

The post coup charter, repeatedly amended toward and away from democracy.

Overview

Adopted by referendum in November 1982 under the military junta after the 1980 coup, the Turkish Constitution vested strong powers in the presidency and restricted politics, unions, and universities. Civilians amended it repeatedly, the 2001 and 2004 packages aligning with European Union accession criteria. The 2010 referendum opened military courts to civilians review. The 2017 amendments, passed narrowly after the 2016 coup attempt, replaced parliamentarism with an executive presidency, giving the president decree and appointment powers and weakening the legislature. The charter remains the central battlefield of Turkish politics.