The 2018 move to the presidential system affected press legislation from top to bottom. Most of those changes were made by Decree-Law No. 703.
The Identity of the Decree-Law
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Decree-Law on Amending Certain Laws and Decree-Laws for the Purpose of Aligning with the Amendments Made to the Constitution |
| Number | 703 |
| Date | 2/7/2018 |
| Entry into force | 9/7/2018 - the date the President took office by oath following the parliamentary and presidential elections held together on 24/6/2018 |
Its Touches on Press Legislation
The decree-law consists of articles dealing with statutes one by one. The articles concerning the press and media field:
| Decree-law article | Statute touched |
|---|---|
| Art. 33 | Service of Process Law No. 7201 |
| Art. 34 | Promotion Fund Law No. 3230 |
| Art. 35 | Right to Information Law No. 4982 |
| Art. 38 | Law No. 1117 on Protecting Minors from Harmful Publications |
| Art. 95 | Turkish Radio and Television Law No. 2954 |
| Art. 122 | Decree-Law No. 231 on BYEGM - REPEALED |
| Art. 162 | Law No. 195 on the Establishment of the Press Advertising Agency |
| Art. 163 | Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 |
| Art. 164 | Law No. 6112 on the Establishment of Radio and Television Enterprises and Their Broadcasting Services |
The Common Logic of the Changes
Most of the changes are changes of wording: the offices of the old system were replaced by those of the new one.
| Old wording | New wording |
|---|---|
| The Prime Minister | The President |
| The Prime Ministry | The ministry or institution to be designated by the President, or the Presidency |
| The Council of Ministers | The President |
The Promotion Fund Law is a concrete example of that logic. According to the footnotes to Law No. 3230, by Art. 34 of Decree-Law No. 703:
- Art. 2 - "of the Prime Minister" became "of the President" and a sentence on secretariat services was added.
- Art. 3/c - "the Prime Ministry" became "the ministry or institution to be designated by the President".
- Art. 3/d - "the Council of Ministers" became "the President".
- Art. 4 - "of the Prime Minister" became "of the ministry or institution to be designated by the President", and "the Prime Ministry" became "the Presidency".
- Art. 7 - "the Prime Ministry" became "the ministry or institution to be designated by the President".
- Art. 9 - "the Council of Ministers" became "the President".
One Repeal: BYEGM
That is the end of the BYEGM era and the beginning of the era of the Presidency's Directorate of Communications. The Directorate's organisation is governed by Presidential Decree No. 14 of 24/7/2018. We cover it in the BYEGM era guide.
Why It Matters
It has three practical consequences:
- Older texts mislead. If you see "the Prime Ministry" in a pre-2018 source, its counterpart in the current text has most likely changed.
- Chains of authority changed. Arrangements resting on BYEGM are now tied to the Directorate of Communications.
- The competent authority changed. Powers of approval, decision and assignment passed to the President or to the ministry or institution designated by the President.
A Habit of Reading Legislation
Summary
- Decree-Law No. 703 touched many statutes of press legislation for alignment with the presidential system: Laws No. 7201, 3230, 4982, 1117, 2954, 195, 6698 and 6112.
- Most of the changes update the wording of offices; its most fundamental effect is the repeal of Decree-Law No. 231 on BYEGM by Art. 122.
- The date of entry into force is 9/7/2018.