The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Anayasası), also known as the Constitution of 1982, is Turkey's fundamental law. It establishes the organization of the government and sets out the principles and rules of the state's conduct along with its responsibilities in regards to its citizens. The constitution also establishes the rights and responsibilities of the latter while setting the guidelines for the delegation and exercise of sovereignty that belongs to the Turkish people.
The constitution was ratified on 7 November 1982. It replaced the earlier Constitution of 1961. The constitution was amended seventeen times, two of them through a referendum: 2007, 2010, one of them partly through referendum: 1987. Overall, 113 of the 177 articles of the Constitution of 1982 were amended.Another referendum concerning a new draft constitution that would increase the power of the President and abolish the office of the Prime Minister was held on April 16, 2017.
The first constitution of the Ottoman Empire was adopted in 1876 and revised in 1908.
Since its founding, the modern Turkish state has been governed under four documents:
The current constitution was ratified by popular referendum during the military junta of 1980-1983. Since its ratification in 1982, the current constitution has overseen many important events and changes in the Republic of Turkey, and it has been modified many times to keep up with global and regional geopolitical conjunctures. The last significant amendments were made in 2010. A minor amendment to Article 59, on the permissible means for challenging "decisions of sport federations relating to administration and discipline of sportive activities," was made in March 2011.