MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli made remarkable statements about Türkiye's administrative structure in his interview with Türkgün Newspaper. Bahçeli said that they envisage the establishment of 19 new provinces and 78 new districts in Türkiye with the project they prepared as the Nationalist Movement Party. Stating that the "100 provinces, 1000 districts" vision is the administrative vision of the Turkish and Turkish Century, Bahçeli stated that the project is a move towards the future of a growing and developing Türkiye.
Bahçeli emphasized that objective criteria such as population, development potential, geographical situation, difficulties in accessing public services and strategic location will be taken into account when determining new provinces and districts. Stating that the districts that have the potential to become a province will be evaluated in line with the objective criteria determined by the relevant institutions of the state, Bahçeli noted that the final decision will be made by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
WHAT CRITERIA ARE REQUIRED TO BECOME A PROVINCE?
Following Bahçeli's statements, the question of which districts could gain provincial status came to the fore. Commenting on the issue in the CNN Türk broadcast, journalist Gürbüz Evren explained the criteria taken into account for a district to become a province.
According to Evren's statements, in order to become a province, a district must have a population of at least 100 thousand and be at least 30 kilometers away from the city center. In addition, the district's transportation infrastructure, urbanization rate, internet capacity, economic diversity and education indicators are also important in the evaluation. Emphasizing that the determined criteria should be evaluated together, Evren stated that just having a high population is not enough for a district to become a province.
GIVEN EXAMPLES OF ALANYA, MANAVGAT AND BANDIRMA
While evaluating the districts that have the potential to become a province, Gürbüz Evren drew attention to the issue of distance to metropolitan centers. Citing Antalya's Alanya and Manavgat districts as examples, Evren stated that the journey between Alanya and Antalya takes approximately two hours. He stated that this distance may cause loss of time and cost for district residents in terms of access to public services. Evren said that a similar situation also applies to Manavgat.
Referring to the distance of Balıkesir's Bandırma district to the city centre, Evren stated that this distance exceeds an hour. He stated that Muğla's Fethiye district can also be considered among the places that have the potential to become a province.
THE POSSIBILITY OF BECOMING A PROVINCE IS ALSO ON THE AGENDA FOR POLATLI
Ankara's Polatlı district was among the districts that Evren drew attention to. Stating that Polatlı has been expecting to become a province for a long time despite being located closer to Ankara, Evren said that the district should be evaluated in terms of criteria such as population and distance.
Evren emphasized that there is no problem for districts that meet the conditions of becoming a province to attain this status, but all criteria should be considered together.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW PROVINCES WILL ALSO AFFECT THE DISTRIBUTION OF MPS.
Increasing the number of provinces may affect not only the administrative structure but also the political and economic balances. Gürbüz Evren pointed out that if new provinces are established, the number of MPs will need to be recalculated.
For example, if Muğla's Fethiye district becomes a province, issues such as how the number of deputies of Muğla will change or how many deputies will be in Fethiye will need to be re-evaluated. According to current legal practice, each province must have at least one member of parliament. For this reason, with the establishment of new provinces, the reorganization of the distribution of MPs will come to the agenda. Evren also stated that each province will receive its own budget and that the establishment of new provinces will have consequences that need to be calculated in terms of budget distribution.
HOW WILL THE 100 PROVINCES, 1000 DISTRICTS PROJECT CHANGE THE ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE OF Türkiye?
Bahçeli explained the reason for the project as the creation of a public administration structure compatible with the Presidential Government System and suitable for today's conditions. Stating that Türkiye's increasing population, accelerating urbanization process and changing socioeconomic structure necessitate the reconsideration of the administrative organization, Bahçeli described the "100 provinces, 1000 districts" project as an important step in terms of Türkiye's future goals.
Gürbüz Evren also pointed out that the province status of districts that meet criteria such as population, distance, transportation and economic development may be important in terms of access to public services.
