Referendum on presidential system to be held in Oct if conciliation not successful
As Parliament's Constitution Conciliation Committee works toward drafting a new constitution with the consent of all political parties in Parliament, it is expected to hold a referendum in October if the committee is unsuccessful, according to the Star daily.
The Presidential Palace is expected to cooperate with nongovernmental organizations to increase public support of a presidential system in case the committee's efforts do not succeed. Constitutional experts, social leaders and figures from civil society are expected to meet in late December to carry out what are being described as "conference calls" by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Expectations regarding a new constitution are expected to be voiced during the conference calls.According to Erdoğan, more than 500,000 citizens will be chosen for the conference calls and their views regarding specific constitutional articles will be discussed. In a bid to accurately inform the public regarding a new constitution and presidential system, Erdoğan said that the conference calls will possibly be arranged to mimic a public survey.
"The issue is to avoid having a presidential system that has such structure or characteristics that would cause practical annoyances among the public. As long as you uphold justice in practice – that's what the people seek and expect – there will be no problem," Erdoğan said.
Lead by civil society organizations, the conference calls will be held in all 81 provinces to allow selected citizens to actively participate in discussions on a presidential system. The president said that he would also serve as the chair of meetings with various circles of society, including notable figures in academia and the media, listening to their opinions at the Presidential Palace.
Parliament Speaker İsmail Karaman is expected to call on the Constitutional Conciliation Committee members for their first meeting in the coming days. The new committee will have three deputies from each party: Cemil Çiçek, Ahmet İyimaya and Abdalhamit Gül from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Mehmet Parsak, Oktay Öztürk and Kadir Koçdemir from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Süha Aldan, Bülent Tezcan and Namık Havutça from the Republican People's Party (CHP) and Mithat Sancar, Meral Danış Beştaş and Garo Paylan from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).
GENAR research company's latest survey of public support for the presidential system, conducted in 36 provinces with 4,900 participants, found that support for a presidential system has increased to 55 percent from 45 percent after the Nov. 1 elections. Regarding Turkey's transition from a parliamentary to a presidential system, all three of the supporters of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) as well as the four supporters of the Republican People's Party (CHP) unanimously expressed positive opinions on the proposed system.
The Presidential Palace is expected to cooperate with nongovernmental organizations to increase public support of a presidential system in case the committee's efforts do not succeed. Constitutional experts, social leaders and figures from civil society are expected to meet in late December to carry out what are being described as "conference calls" by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Expectations regarding a new constitution are expected to be voiced during the conference calls.According to Erdoğan, more than 500,000 citizens will be chosen for the conference calls and their views regarding specific constitutional articles will be discussed. In a bid to accurately inform the public regarding a new constitution and presidential system, Erdoğan said that the conference calls will possibly be arranged to mimic a public survey.
"The issue is to avoid having a presidential system that has such structure or characteristics that would cause practical annoyances among the public. As long as you uphold justice in practice – that's what the people seek and expect – there will be no problem," Erdoğan said.
Lead by civil society organizations, the conference calls will be held in all 81 provinces to allow selected citizens to actively participate in discussions on a presidential system. The president said that he would also serve as the chair of meetings with various circles of society, including notable figures in academia and the media, listening to their opinions at the Presidential Palace.
Parliament Speaker İsmail Karaman is expected to call on the Constitutional Conciliation Committee members for their first meeting in the coming days. The new committee will have three deputies from each party: Cemil Çiçek, Ahmet İyimaya and Abdalhamit Gül from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Mehmet Parsak, Oktay Öztürk and Kadir Koçdemir from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Süha Aldan, Bülent Tezcan and Namık Havutça from the Republican People's Party (CHP) and Mithat Sancar, Meral Danış Beştaş and Garo Paylan from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).
GENAR research company's latest survey of public support for the presidential system, conducted in 36 provinces with 4,900 participants, found that support for a presidential system has increased to 55 percent from 45 percent after the Nov. 1 elections. Regarding Turkey's transition from a parliamentary to a presidential system, all three of the supporters of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) as well as the four supporters of the Republican People's Party (CHP) unanimously expressed positive opinions on the proposed system.
Last Update: January 26, 2016 22:07