Presidential system to save Turkey from economic crises created by coalition governments

Mehmet Muş, a Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy from Istanbul and one of the economic masterminds of the party, presented significant statements about presidential system discussions which top Turkey's agenda these days, as the Republican People's Party (CHP) has withdrawn from Parliament's Constitutional Reconciliation Commission due to its insistence on Turkey remaining in the current parliamentary system. Muş pointed to the contributions that a presidential system will make to Turkey's economic future and underlined that the economic crises, which are produced within the current parliamentary system, bring burdensome costs for Turkey.

With regard to the 2001 financial crisis, Muş said that the actual adjusted cost of the crisis is TL 579.9 billion today. He evaluated this cost as a penalty that the parliamentary system has posed to Turkey in the recent period, adding, "Presidential system means stability, which, along with confidence, is an absolute must for the economy. Elections that are held in a parliamentary system lead to either a coalition or a single-party government, whereas everyone directly elects their own president who appoints his own ministers in a presidential system. "

Muş said that the 1994 economic crisis could not be prevented as the government failed to take radical steps and Turkey went through a postmodern crisis in 1997 which was followed by a great financial crisis in 2001. He also stressed that Turkey paid heavy economic costs when it saw coalition governments changing in periods as short as 16 months between 1991 and 2001. Muş stated that the government debt securities that were issued in that period were paid back with interest by 2011 and the nation paid a heavy price for them.

According to the deputy, the AK Party government proposes a 5+5 model where a president can remain in power during two five-year terms if he does not make a major mistake and fulfills his election promises in the first term. He stressed that people can take steps toward making investments in the 10-year period in a more assured way thanks to the stability that accompanies the presidential system. Muş also noted that a presidential system will pave the way for large-scale reforms and referred to the U.S. example, saying, "For instance, the U.S. made rapid decisions during the last economic crisis and could rapidly overcome its troubles."

Muş said that between 55 and 60 percent of the public supports the idea of switching to a presidential system now and the percentage is increasing with every passing day, as people have realized the significance and essentiality of the system. "Turkey's former leading political figures, such as Necmettin Erbakan, Alparslan Türkeş and Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu who went through crisis periods in the past, also argued for a presidential system as a way out of crises," he concluded.