There will be no PM in Turkish presidential system


The ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) constitutional proposal, which was sent to the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) for its finishing touches, is expected to be submitted to Parliament by the end of the week and details of the proposal continue to be revealed.

Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs Veysel Eroğlu spoke about the issue yesterday and said legislative and executive powers will be divided and there will be no prime ministerial post in Turkey's new system, a "Turkish-style presidency."

Speaking to the editorial board at Anadolu Agency (AA), Eroğlu provided new information about the presidential system that is planned to be voted on in a referendum in spring. He said the AK Party's constitutional proposal was presented to the MHP, and MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli announced that the presidential statement was included in the proposal draft. He also reminded that all the political parties had promised "to change the Constitution" in their election campaigns.

Eroğlu answered question regarding whether the system will include a prime minister, by saying, "There won't be a prime minister in the new system and there will be more than one than one vice president, unlike the American system, which restricts the number of vice presidents to one. Ministers will come from the outside [of Parliament]. Parliament will prepare legislative acts. Such a system is being considered." Eroğlu also said they did not foresee a short-term election, meaning the election would be held in 2019 - the next election year.

The minister reminded of Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım's call to the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in the AK Party Parliamentary Group for cooperation and said the CHP's objection to the text before reading it is strange. He also refuted Kılıçdaroğlu's "Presidential system is a regime debate," and said, "The regime won't be changed. Democracy, the Republic, it is our regime. No one has the intention to change the regime," concluded Eroğlu.