Turkey to introduce reform to establish presidential system

The Turkish Prime Minister announced that the Islamist government will present a constitutional reform next week in the parliamentary assembly to establish a presidential system.

Announcing the reform, Binali Yildirim explained that the assembly must approve the reform with more than 330 votes, which is the minimum number of seats required to convene a referendum to reform the constitution, Efe news agency reported.

The Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) has only 317 seats and with the support of the 40 Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputies, will be able to call a vote and change the system so that the head of state has the executive power, instead of staying in a rather symbolic role, as in the current constitution.

For a constitutional reform without a referendum, two-thirds of the parliament is needed (367 votes), a figure beyond the reach of the AKP, since the other two parties represented in the assembly -- the Republican People's Party and the Peoples' Democratic Party -- are clearly opposed to the reform.

--IANS

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