As you read this, a rapid and turbulent revolution is underway in Turkey. The country's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party is pushing proposals through parliament that would radically alter the system of government.

By abolishing Turkey's long-established system of collective cabinet government, the AK Party says it will stabilise the country and streamline decision-making. But the proposed law will pool power in the hands of the president and dramatically reduce the top job’s accountability to parliament. In effect, it codifies a system of one-man rule for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

It wipes out the century-old role of prime minister and transfers its functions to the president. It strips Turkish MPs of their duty to scrutinise the executive and abolishes the vote of confidence needed for governments to take office. It grants the presidency new powers to directly appoint a vast range of public officials – cabinet ministers, provincial governors, and judges to the highest courts in the land.

Simply put, the government’s plans are an enabling act: they are designed to strengthen the individual over the collective. Powers and duties that are presently distributed among the prime minister, the cabinet and senior judges are being rerouted to one man.