Presidential system or 'supreme guidance'

The president determined the basic topic of the coming general election as ?constitutional change and the presidential system,? and he has personally begun to ?campaign for the presidential system.? In fact, ?the presidential system,? in the mind of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and his supporters rather sounds like a system of ?supreme guidance.? After all, the project of a so-called ?New Turkey? is about not only building a new political system, but also a new society bound by loyalties which are defined along the lines of a new ruling ideology.

The ?New Turkey? project is based on an ideology which is shaped by an Ottomanist version of Turkish nationalism and neo-Islamism. ?The ideal? is to reform Turkey into a community of believers and supporters of the national cause under strong guidance and leadership. The so-called ?national cause? is the empowerment of Turkey as a global player with the capacity to challenge Western supremacy, not only in the name of proud new Turks but also the oppressed ?ummah.? In the minds of neo-Ottoman nationalists, Turks governed vast lands and the majority of Muslims under Ottoman rule until the empire collapsed at the hands of Western powers and their internal Westernist pawns. In this view, after a century-long Western assault and grand treason, Erdo?an is now ?the unbound Promethus? of the nation and of an ummah which craves for the return of the good old days of Turkish leadership. 

Therefore, the choice is not a matter of a political system, but about supporting ?a historical mission.? In this view, the undisputable leader, Erdo?an, should be free from all restraints to change the course of history, which is why Turkey needs a new political system and constitutional legitimacy. That is also why Erdo?an and...