Turkish Constitution of 1961 in the context of "Supreme Election Council (Turkey)"

The Constitution of Turkey, formally known as the Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Anayasası), and informally as the Constitution of 1982 (Turkish: 1982 Anayasası), 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 that sovereignty belongs entirely and without doubt to the people.

The constitution was ratified on 7 November 1982. It replaced the earlier Constitution of 1961. The constitution was amended 21 times, three of them through a referendum: 2007, 2010, 2017, one of them partly through referendum: 1987. As of April 2017, 117 of the 177 articles of the Constitution of 1982 were amended overall.

The Constitution of 1924, formally titled the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey (Ottoman Turkish: Teşkilât-ı Esasiye Kanunu; Turkish: 1924 Türk Anayasası), was the fundamental law of Turkey from 1924 to 1961. It replaced the Constitution of 1921 and was ratified by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey following the proclamation of the republic on October 29, 1923. It was ratified on April 20, 1924. It remained in force until the 1960 coup d'état, following which it was replaced by the Constitution of 1961.

The Supreme Election Council (Turkish: Yüksek Seçim Kurulu; YSK) is the highest electoral authority in Turkey. It was established by the Deputies Election Law no. 5545 on 16 February 1950. After the 1960 coup, the Supreme Election Council gained constitutional authority by the Constitution of 1961. Its duty is to ensure that the principles and rules of the constitution are upheld.

The Supreme Election Council consists of a president, six members and four substitute members from the Court of Cassation and the Council of State judges.

Turkish coup d'état may refer to illegal or constitutional military takeovers or takeover attempts in Turkey. There have been several.

From the founding of the Turkish Republic until 2016, the Turkish military was very involved in Turkish politics. The army was strongly Kemalist and considered one of its roles to be the ultimate guardian of Atatürk's reforms including secularism, and of cooperation with the Western world generally. The Turkish constitutions of 1924, 1961, and 1982 formally specified that the army's role was to protect Turkey against internal as well as external threats. The army was popular and prestigious as the guarantor of the Turkish state and of Turkish multiparty democracy (after its effective establishment following World War II).