Turkey suddenly sacks 18,000 officials in emergency decree, days before Erdogan is sworn in again

Half of those detained are police officers

More than 18,000 civil servants including police officers, academics and members of the armed forces in Turkey are to be dismissed as the country gets set to lift the state of emergency that had been in place for around two years.

The decree was issued on Sunday, shortly after Recep Tayyip Erdogan's re-election last month as he prepares to take on an executive presidency with a revamped parliament.

Among those to be dismissed, around 9,000 are from the country’s police force. Around 5,000 more are from the armed forces and hundreds are academics from across the country. Their passports will also be cancelled.

Some retired service personnel who had their ranks annulled will also be deprived of their pensions as a result.

The ruling, which was 461 pages in size and published in the Official Gazette, also shuttered twelve non-governmental organisations, three newspapers and one television station.

But 148 people who were previously sacked are to be brought back in under the decree.

The state of emergency, which is soon to be lifted, was put in place after an attempted coup in July 2016. Unless the government extends it for another term, it will end on 18 July.

The government blames US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, for orchestrating the 2016 coup and has sacked or arrested people suspected of links to him - Mr Gulen denies the allegations. But the purge has broadened to include other "terror groups."

Since the failed intervention, more than 160,000 have already been let go, according to the UN human rights office.

Others were detained, with around 50,000 formally charged and kept in jail during their trials, many alleged to have links with Mr Gulen.

The country’s Western allies have criticised the crackdown as a means to quash dissent, but which Turkey says is necessary for the purposes of national security.

News of the decree comes as Mr Erdogan gets set to swear an oath on Monday after being voted in by the country’s electoral board. He is also set to announce his cabinet.

Six parliamentarians from five political parties were also sworn in on Saturday in Ankara.

Just under half were from Mr Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, and 49 were from the allied Nationalist Movement Party.

Parties making up the opposition include the secular Republican People's Party, pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party and nationalist Good Party.

Turkey's governing system is changing from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency, which mean the office of the prime minister will be abolished and parliament's responsibilities will change.

Critics fear it concentrates too much power in the hands of one man, Mr Erdogan. He will now head government, appoint ministers, vice presidents and top bureaucrats, prepare the budget and decide on security policies.

Under the new system, the number of parliamentary seats has increased by 50. Parliament proposes laws, has the power to ratify or reject the president's budget or move for new dual elections.

Parliament can also shorten, extend or cancel a state of emergency, and presidential decrees passed during emergency rule must be approved within 90 days or become void.

Agencies contributed to this report