Noticias

The AKP proposes a unitary presidential system, the party’s commission head Mustafa Şentop has said, adding that the AKP is working on a two-stage election system in the country

The adoption of a presidential system in Turkey will be a “key structural reform,” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has argued, saying the system was needed for lasting stability, continued development, growth, strong government, national unity and brotherhood across the country.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he does not believe that the July 15 coup attempt is over, vowing to take further steps in fight against the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ) which was blamed on the coup attempt.

Cracks have emerged within the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) over a decision to lend support to a government proposal on a provisional change in the constitution that would allow parliament to lift the immunities of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers and others for one time only.

The mandate of the parliamentary panel tasked with rewriting the constitution should also include an overall democratization process for Turkey, two of the country’s opposition parties have said. 

“The demand to redefine the mandate of the commission is our joint demand with the CHP [Republican People’s Party]. The commission should not only be tasked to re-write the constitution but to initiate a comprehensive democratization process and to become part of these efforts,” Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmaker Mithat Sancar, a member of the panel, told reporters late Feb. 10. 

The current parliamentary system in Turkey is out of date and the existing situation, in which both the prime minister and president are elected by the people, is unsustainable, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated, emphasizing his wish to hold a referendum over a new constitution and a transition to a presidential system while calling on civil society organizations and media to launch a grassroots campaign to this aim.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was re-elected as chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for his fourth consecutive term at his the party’s convention over the weekend, saying he aimed to renew the CHP’s management with “more new and young faces.” 

Kılıçdaroğlu received the votes of 990 delegates out of 1,238, running alone as his sole contender İzmir deputy Mustafa Balbay failed to garner the required number of signatures to be a candidate. 

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has named three lawmakers to represent the party in a parliamentary commission to be tasked with drafting a new constitution, with party leader Devlet Bahçeli underlining their aspirations of strengthening the current parliamentary system.

But Parliamentary Speaker İsmail Kahraman voiced his support for a transition from the current parliamentary system to a presidential system.