Government Systems in Turkey and Greece

Political Systems in South Aegean States

Myrzabek Emilbek uulu

Gorkem Atsungur

ES 102

December 10, 2012

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Abstract

The aim of the South Aegean Politics is to discuss the government systems in two South Aegean states: Turkey and Greece. Since the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire to the Ottomans, the history of relations between greeks and turks were marked with constant hostility and periods of peace. In my analysis, Turkish and Greek government structures will be compared in the context of democratic ideas and effectiveness. Also, the power division and hierarchic roles of the government members in all branches will be described and discussed in comparison manner. The aim of comparison is to determine the more effective and sustainable government structure and to stress the differences among two states.

Introduction

Relations between countries have always been vitally influenced by the political systems. The structure of the governments always played a key role in decision making processes. Analyzing the hierarchy of the government systems, we would be able to establish the ways government structures influence the politics of different states. The comparison of Greece and Turkey has historical and geopolitical background of centuries of "neighborhood relations".

From the ancient times to nowadays, Greece have undergone political evolution and experienced well the different types of governments. This resulted in the rise of several political philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle etc. Nevertheless, the current political system in Greece which

could be called parliamentary representative republic in the modern context has to be marked with ineffectiveness and corruption. In the contrast, Turkey, lacking a rich history of the development of the philosophical thought, was able to establish an effective democratic government system and achieved high development rates while its neighbor was suffering from financial crisis. Thus, for better comprehension and comparison of government systems in

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Greece and Turkey, I will discuss their government structures in the contexts of the division of powers.

The Executive Branch

The executive branches of both Turkey and Greece are very similar to one another. In both states, the president is considered to be the head of the state and is elected by the parliament. Presidents in Turkey and Greece have similar powers