De facto presidential system in Turkey in effect despite PM

Four newspapers had almost identical headlines yesterday in Turkey: The Jan. 19 cabinet meeting presided over by President Tayyip Erdo?an was the ?First step toward a presidential system? in Turkey.

In fact, it isn't fair to describe those four papers - namely Sabah, Yeni ?afak, Star and Ak?am - as ?pro-government? any longer, because they have all started to make a distinction between Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu?s line and that of Erdo?an. This distinction is in favor of the latter, despite all titles leaning toward the same ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti).

The Jan. 19 cabinet meeting was an unusually long one, lasting over eight-and-a-half hours. Before it started, the ministers had to wait silently in the meeting hall of the Presidential Palace for 80 minutes, as Erdo?an wanted to speak to Davuto?lu one-on-one.

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Ar?nç told reporters after the meeting that the regime had not changed just because Erdo?an had chaired the cabinet, saying it was ?still a sort of parliamentary system."

But being good with words, Davuto?lu was not as long-faced as he appeared in the photos taken after his 80-minute meeting with Erdo?an when he was in London the next morning. With a cheerful smile, he said that Jan. 19 was simply a ?smooth transition? between the president and the prime minister, as well as a successful ?test? showing that there was an ?efficient government and a political vision? in Turkey.

This would all be fine, if the constitution described a job distribution between the president and the prime minister. But it does not.

What is actually happening is a de facto transition from Turkey?s parliamentary system to a strong presidential, or semi-presidential system under...