Constitutional history of Turkey

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Constitutional history of Turkey
First Ottoman Parliament at the Old Darülfünun building
Constitutional documents
Charter of Alliance Edict of Gülhane Edict of 1856
Constitutions
1876 First Constitutional Era Second Constitutional Era 1921 1924 1961 1982
Referendums
1961 1982 1987 1988 2007 2010 2017
Constitutional Court

Over the centuries, Turkey has had many constitutions and can be characterised by the steady establishment of a nation-state, democratisation and recognition of international law.

Turkey has a rich constitutional history, dating from 1808 to the present.^[1] Over the years, Turkey has had many constitutions and radical amendments made to those constitutions. The four main constitutions of Turkey since inception have been the Constitution of 1921, the Constitution of 1924, the Constitution of 1961 and the Constitution of 1982.^[1] Prior to these constitutions, Turkey was governed by the Ottoman Empire and other fundamental instruments such as the Sened-I Ittifak, Imperial Edict of Reorganisation, the Ottoman Reform Edict, the Ottoman Constitution of 1876.

The current 1982 Turkish constitution has been ratified nineteen times, with its most recent revision in 2017 which was aimed at improving the rights and liberties of individuals and strengthening the rule of law.^[2]