AK Party determines road map on presidential system

Sources close to the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) reported on Thursday that the road map towards a presidential system is being finalized. The AK Party is set to hold its 25th Advisory and Assessment camp in Afyonkarahisar from Oct. 21 to 23. It has further been reported that the majority of the AK Party administration has agreed on the using the term "President of the Republic" rather than using just "President," while defining the new system as the "Republic's presidential system" rather than "presidential system."

The 25th retreat is critical not only due to discussions on the presidential system, but also because the majority of AK Party deputies, members of the Central Executive Board (MYK) and the Central Decision and Administrative Board (MKYK) will be attending to discuss the aftermath of the failed coup attempt on July 15, strategies towards combating the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and possible dismissals from the party, along with addressing ongoing constitution change discussions.

Though the road map and schedule toward a new constitution and switching to a presidential system from a parliamentary system has yet to be decided, AK Party Deputy Chairman Hayati Yazıcı recently announced that a proposal regarding the presidential system is to be presented to Parliament in January while a referendum could possibly be held as early as April. Additionally, with Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli signaling support for a referendum for a constitutional change and shift to a presidential system, the AK Party administration at the retreat is to work on the presidential system proposal in accordance with the MHP's sensitivities. The critical AK Party retreat is to be closed to the public as media members will only be granted access to the prime minister's opening and closing speeches, and due to the expected attendance of deputies' family members, advanced security measures will be taken inside the NG Güral Afyon Hotel as well as the surrounding areas.