Georgia Compare And Contrast Essay
Turkey and Georgia both have semi-presidential systems. A large difference between the two Governments is the amount of power the president holds. In Georgia, the majority of the power resides with the prime minister. The prime minister is the head of government with full executive authority over domestic and foreign affairs. The president is the head of state, but cannot legislate nor propose a state budget. By implementing these stipulations for the president, Georgia has decreased the corruption that is found within this branch. (3) Whereas, in Turkey the president has been directing them to a more authoritarian rule. He is cracking down on peaceful protesters, removing judges and prosecutors that disagree with him, and replacing the government with one that puts religion at the center of the people’s lives. (4) Although the prime minister holds the most power in the government the current president is trying to change that. He has tightened his grip on the judiciary, and implemented more restrictions on the media. He is also trying to pass a constitutional amendment that will give the president more power than the prime minister.
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Furthermore, Turkey is perceived by its citizens to be more corrupt than Georgia.
The amount of people that admitted to paying a bribe in Turkey in 2010 was 33% (6) whereas in Georgia it was just 3%. (1) I would argue the reason behind the difference in corruption is because Georgia’s officials are held more accountable. In 2004 major corruption reforms were implemented wherein new branches of government were created in order to eliminate the corruption. (2) However, in Turkey there is less accountability. There is video evidence of the current president and one of his advisors assaulting people. It has also been proven that the current president of Turkey has been using illegal wiretapping and the intervention in many judicial cases.
(5)
I would argue that Georgia has the better government. With its decentralization of power from the president to the prime minister they have seen a decrease in corruption. Turkey’s president has too much power; it is necessary for them to implement something similar to Georgia’s amendment. If they do not decrease the scope of their president’s power there is a chance that he may raise to further power becoming something reminiscent of Vladimir Putin. Furthermore, it is necessary for Turkey’s judicial branch to become more independent. Turkey passed a law wherein they could purge the judiciary system of those that were not loyal to their party. They got rid of more than 100 judges. (5) Turkey needs to decrease the scope of power the president has by implementing corruption reforms similar to Georgia. They need to create a new branch of government that will hold the president accountable for his violations and decrease his power. The most glaring difference between the two is the amount of power the president holds and it is necessary for them to imitate Georgia in corruption reforms and a new amendment limiting his power.
Furthermore, Turkey is perceived by its citizens to be more corrupt than Georgia.
The amount of people that admitted to paying a bribe in Turkey in 2010 was 33% (6) whereas in Georgia it was just 3%. (1) I would argue the reason behind the difference in corruption is because Georgia’s officials are held more accountable. In 2004 major corruption reforms were implemented wherein new branches of government were created in order to eliminate the corruption. (2) However, in Turkey there is less accountability. There is video evidence of the current president and one of his advisors assaulting people. It has also been proven that the current president of Turkey has been using illegal wiretapping and the intervention in many judicial cases.
(5)
I would argue that Georgia has the better government. With its decentralization of power from the president to the prime minister they have seen a decrease in corruption. Turkey’s president has too much power; it is necessary for them to implement something similar to Georgia’s amendment. If they do not decrease the scope of their president’s power there is a chance that he may raise to further power becoming something reminiscent of Vladimir Putin. Furthermore, it is necessary for Turkey’s judicial branch to become more independent. Turkey passed a law wherein they could purge the judiciary system of those that were not loyal to their party. They got rid of more than 100 judges. (5) Turkey needs to decrease the scope of power the president has by implementing corruption reforms similar to Georgia. They need to create a new branch of government that will hold the president accountable for his violations and decrease his power. The most glaring difference between the two is the amount of power the president holds and it is necessary for them to imitate Georgia in corruption reforms and a new amendment limiting his power.