The committees established within the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to prepare adjustment laws in line with the new executive presidential system are reportedly working to give the complex bureaucracy system new shape to increase efficiency.
According to sources in the AK Party, the adjustment laws committees submitted their work to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Commenting on the committees' efforts, Erdoğan reportedly said that the bureaucratic system in Turkey is still sluggish.
"There is still resistance in the bureaucracy. They did not go through a democratic transformation in any way," the president said. He also said that the new public personnel regime will be renewed to overcome these problems.
The new regulations envisage that those elected to office will be called "high bureaucrats."
"We aim to establish a simpler and better functioning public administration. Bureaucracy tends to grow. We need to restrict that and maintain our efforts in this line," Cevdet Yılmaz, the head of the committee for restructuring, recently told the media. The AK Party has ramped up efforts to restructure public administrations as part of adjustment laws in efforts to prevent bureaucratic oligarchy and sluggishness.
The ongoing preparations for the executive presidential system are expected to be ready prior to the 2019 elections. Stressing the repercussions caused by bureaucratic sluggishness, Yılmaz said reforms are needed to prevent it from happening in the first place. The ruling party previously established five committees to work on adjustment laws and changes necessary for the Prime Ministry and presidency.
With the removal of the position of aides, over 50 positions in each ministry will be vacant, including undersecretaries, department heads, general directorates and their aides. The bloated structure of the bureaucracy is thought to be slowing down the working process. The performance of bureaucrats, to be appointed by presidential decree, will be a determinant factor in continuing in their posts.
The adjustment laws committees will finalize their work by April 19, and the final draft will be submitted to Erdoğan for the third and last time. Some of the regulations will be ratified in Parliament before it goes on summer recess. It is expected that regulations regarding the presidential elections and the package regarding local administrations will be prioritized.
