Turkish Parliament Start Discussion on Constitutional Amendment Switch

Discussion on the 18-article constitutional amendment package that will allow Turkey to switch to a presidential system began at the General Assembly of the Turkish Parliament, after being passed by the Constitution Commission.

    The parliament has accepted to discuss the articles of the package with 338 votes. In the voting, 134 deputies rejected the discussion and two lawmakers abstained from the vote. 5 votes turned out to be blank, and 1 vote was invalid.

    AK Party Chairman and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim gave opening remarks on Monday followed with a speech by former CHP Chairman Deniz Baykal.

    In order for ratifications to be made to the constitutional proposal, the changes must be approved by three-fifths of parliamentary deputies, or 330 votes. During the second session of discussions, any individual article receiving fewer than 330 votes will be dropped. Furthermore, if the entire package receives less than 330 votes, it will be completely dropped.

    If approved by the General Assembly, the proposal will be submitted to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has the authority to send the law back to parliament for review. The president has to examine the law within two weeks time, while a referendum can then be held 60 days after the president's ratification. In this case, the referendum is expected to be held by early April. To come into effect, the law has to receive the simple majority of the eligible votes.

    The constitutional amendment package foresees the president as the head of the executive branch of government, thereby abolishing the Prime Ministry and allowing the president to give executive orders and appoint parliamentary deputies as well as cabinet members.

    AK Party deputy and Parliament Constitutional Commission Chairman Mustafa Sentop addressed this issue, saying the proposed changes would provide presidential accountability, meaning the president elect will be held responsible for his or her decisions or actions.

    In addition, Sentop said that the president's authority to enact executive orders would not take away from the legislative authority of Parliament, as executive orders only regulate the executive branch of government and can be vetoed by lawmakers in parliament.

Source: QNA