State in Turkey

The Republic of Türkiye is a unitary state. This means that the country has one national state authority rather than separate federal states with their own full constitutions. The Constitution is the basic legal framework of the state. It defines public institutions, citizens' rights and duties, and the main rules for using public power. The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is called the Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi, or TBMM. It makes laws, approves the national budget, and uses parliamentary tools to examine the work of the executive branch. Executive power is centered on the President of the Republic. The President directs national administration and works with vice presidents, ministers, and ministries that carry out public policies and services. Judicial power belongs to independent courts. The court system includes ordinary courts and higher courts, while the Constitutional Court examines whether some laws and official acts fit the Constitution. The country is divided into provinces, called iller, and districts, called ilçeler. Governors, known as valiler, represent the central state in the provinces, while district governors, known as kaymakams, represent it in districts. Municipalities, called belediyeler, provide many local services such as water, roads, waste collection, transport, and planning. Citizens elect mayors and municipal councils, while village and neighborhood heads are known as muhtarlar. The state is based on principles that include republican government, democracy, the rule of law, social responsibility, and secularism, known in Turkish as laiklik. In daily life, the important question is often which institution has responsibility for a service or decision.