Following the fall of the 600-year-old Ottoman Empire and three years of war, the Republic of Turkey gained its independence in 1923. Army officer and nationalist leader Mustafa Kemal, later known as "Ataturk" or "father of the Turks," became the country's first president.

Turkey adopted a form of government known as a republican parliamentary democracy, and its third and current Constitution was adopted in 1982.

The country enjoys a strategic location -- it spans the continents of Europe and Asia and controls the entrance to the Black Sea -- and is home to a confluence of different cultures.

In addition, Turkey is regarded as a bridge between Europe and the Muslim world, and has been seeking to join the European Union for at least 10 years. It has been a member of NATO since 1952.

The country has a mostly Muslim population -- 99.8 percent -- with a strong secular tradition. This unique situation has forced the country's leaders to address, time and time again, the role of religion in Turkey's society and government.

In 2007, Abdullah Gul became Turkey's first president with roots in the Islamist political movement. His Justice and Development Party, or AKP, continued Turkey's economic reforms, but when it pursued the overturning of a ban on the wearing of headscarves in universities -- a tradition observed by many Muslim women -- it pushed the secular establishment too far.

The following year, the Constitutional Court agreed to take up charges filed by the chief prosecutor saying the AKP was a "source of anti-secular actions." If the court had ruled against the AKP, Gul and about 70 others in his party would have been banned from politics for five years.

But instead on July 30, 2008 the court decided to keep the AKP in place, restoring an element of political stability and tempering concerns that the removal of a democratically elected government would damage Turkey's efforts to join the EU.

Executive
The chief of state, or president, of Turkey is elected by the National Assembly    more... Executive
The chief of state, or president, of Turkey is elected by the National Assembly for a seven-year term. The president-elect must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third ballot.

Under a constitutional amendment package approved by voters in an October 2007 referendum, the president is elected directly by the voters for a five-year term and can serve for up to two terms.

The president can veto laws, appoint officials and name judges.

The head of the government, or prime minister, is appointed by the president from among the members of parliament. The premier's job is to supervise the implementation of government policy.

The prime minister heads the cabinet, or Council of Ministers. The prime minister nominates its members, who are then appointed by the president.

Legislative
Turkey has a unicameral Grand National Assembly, which has 550 seats. These members of Parliament are elected by popular vote for five-year terms.

The president enacts laws passed by Parliament with 15 days. Except for budgetary laws, the president may send a law back to Parliament for reconsideration. If the legislative body re-enacts the law, it is binding, although the president may apply to the Constitutional Court to reverse the law.

Judicial
Turkey has a Constitutional Court, High Court of Appeals, Council of State, Court of Accounts, Military High Court of Appeals and Military High Administrative Court.

Turkish citizens age 18 and older may vote, be elected and form political parties.    more... Turkish citizens age 18 and older may vote, be elected and form political parties. All political parties must establish headquarters in the country's capital Ankara.

Parties must obtain 10 percent of the vote throughout the country in general elections to win seats in Parliament.

Elections are held under judicial administration and supervision. The counting, recording and reporting of votes are done publicly. Each province is an election area and each alderman's office an election precinct.

A voter referendum approved in 2007 made several major changes to Turkey's electoral system, including having the president elected by popular vote rather than by Parliament. Another change gives the president a five-year, instead of seven-year, term and the ability to serve a second term.

Turkey's legal system has three types of courts: judicial, military and administrative.    more... Turkey's legal system has three types of courts: judicial, military and administrative. Each system has a court of first instance and an appellate court.

The judicial courts are the largest part of the system and handle most civil and criminal cases. The two supreme courts within the judicial system are the Constitutional Court and Court of Appeals.

The Constitutional Court reviews the constitutionality of legislation and government decrees. Its 11 members are appointed by the president from among people nominated by lower courts and the High Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors.

The Court of Appeals reviews civil and criminal decisions put forward by lower-level judicial courts.

The administrative court consists of the Council of State, an appellate court and various courts of first instance. The president appoints 25 percent of the Council of State's judges, and the other 75 percent are appointed by the High Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors.

The military court system, which consists of a Supreme Military Administrative Court, an appellate State Security Court and the Military Court of Appeals, has jurisdiction over all military personnel and civilians accused of terrorism.