Turkish Parliament Passes 2 Articles of New Constitutional

Turkish parliament has adopted articles 7 and 8 of a new constitutional reform package out of the total of 18, Anadolu Agency reported.

    Article 7 deals with the requirements and restrictions for a presidential candidate and it drew support from 340 of 550 lawmakers, while 136 rejected it and 68 lawmakers were absent.

    According to the article, any presidential candidate must be at least 40 years of age, hold a university degree and be a Turkish citizen. The president will serve a five-year term and can be re-elected.

    The measure also amends the current provision that restricts the president's links with a political party. The new article allows the president, who is elected directly by a public vote, to have connections with their political party.

    Article 8 of the package says that as "the head of the state," the president will have executive power that enables them to appoint and dismiss ministers.

    A total of 481 lawmakers took part in the second ballot in the early morning hours of Friday, approving it by 340 – 135 with five blank ballots and one invalid vote, Anadolu reported.

    AK Party and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) submitted the proposed amendments to parliament on December 30 for ratification. Turkey's largest opposition party, CHP, and the People's Democratic Party (HDP) oppose the bill.

    If approved by 330 of the parliament's 550 deputies, the bill will be voted on in a national referendum. If it obtains the support of 367 lawmakers, it can pass into law without referendum.

Source: QNA