Turkey: Parliament approved articles on the constitutional reform

World News Adina Camarasu
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The Turkish Parliament approved on Thursday night several essential articles of the legislative package on the constitutional reform that will allow the president of Turkey to be a member of a political party and issue decrees, which would be another step towards the desired presidential regime the current head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants, reported Reuters.

AKP, supported by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), submitted earlier this week a draft legislation project which provides increased executive powers for President Erdogan to prevent the risk of forming fragile governmental coalitions, as has happened in recent years.

Instead, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and the People’s Democratic Party (HDP pro-Kurdish) fear that the constitutional reform will fuel authoritarianism.

The approved articles will establish the supervisory role of the Turkish parliament, allowing the President to make ‘bonds’ with his political party and detailing the executive powers of the President, including the power to issue decrees.

The approval of those articles is a positive signal for AKP, although amendments will have to pass two voting procedures before the entire legislative package on constitutional reform becomes the subject of a referendum.

The Turkish parliament’s debate degenerated, as the elected officials came to punches and blows after they expressed all the other arguments.

On the other hand, a member of the AKP announced on Thursday that Turkey would hold elections if the constitutional reform package will not be approved by parliament: ‘If the proposal does not pass the General Assembly, even if nobody wants it, Turkey will have to hold elections’, said Mustafa Sentop, the chairman of the Constitutional Affairs.

On Thursday, a CHP parliamentarian, Oygur Ozel, stated his supporting of the idea of anticipated elections.

To be passed, the law requires the support of at least 330 of the 550 members of the Turkish parliament.