Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his country’s need for a new constitution for the country, saying, “It must be civil,” less than four years after the previous constitution was amended to grant it sweeping powers.

He added. That he will discuss this issue with his party’s nationalist allies, as he made clear that the last two state constitutions that were activated in 1961 and 1982 were drafted in the wake of military coups, and it was time to take this step, stressing that any draft constitution would be subject to a referendum.

The Turks approved constitutional amendments in 2017 that led the country to shift from a parliamentary system to an executive presidential system despite violent reactions from opposition parties and critics.

Erdogan was elected president under the new system in 2018 with sweeping executive powers that she described. Opposition parties called the “one-man system.”

The “Justice and Development” party and its ally, the “Nationalist Movement” party, defended the system by saying that it contributed to the smooth functioning of state agencies.

After a government meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said: “Perhaps the time has come for Turkey to discuss once again a new constitution … If we reach an understanding with our coalition partner, we may start efforts to thief. Drafting a new constitution in the coming period. ” He pointed out that these efforts should be transparent and presented to the public.

Erdogan’s statements come weeks after the leader of the National Movement Party, Devlet Bahceli, proposed constitutional amendments to ban the Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party for its separatist tendencies. A move condemned by the Kurdish party as an attempt to silence the voice of 6 million citizens.

The post Erdogan: Turkey needs a new constitution in the coming period appeared first on World Weekly News.