Erdogan could be President of Türkiye until 2029

(Baonghean.vn) - The Turkish Commission announced on February 11 that the country will hold a referendum on April 16 on replacing the current parliamentary system with a more powerful role for the President - something that Mr. Tayyip Erdogan has long desired.

President Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a ceremony in Aksaray, Türkiye on February 10. Photo: Reuters.

The proposed constitutional reform would mark one of the biggest changes to the EU candidate country's system of power since the current republic was born with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago.

If passed, it would allow the president to issue decrees, declare a state of emergency and appoint ministers and senior state officials. It would also allow Mr Erdogan to remain in power in the NATO member state until 2029.

Erdogan's supporters see the plans as a guarantee of stability in a time of turmoil, when Türkiye's security is threatened by wars in neighboring Syria and Iraq, not to mention a string of attacks by Kurdish militants and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).

Meanwhile, protesters fear a return to dictatorship in a country that has seen tens of thousands of people, from teachers and journalists to soldiers and police, arrested following a failed coup attempt last July.

Seeking support from nationalist voters, Mr Erdogan warned that voting against the change would mean strengthening Türkiye's enemies, including the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been at war with the state for more than three decades and is based in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq.

“Who says no? The PKK, Qandil, those who want to divide this country and those who are against our flag,” Erdogan told members of a pro-government think tank in Istanbul.

He argued that an executive presidential system was needed to avoid the mistakes of past parliamentary coalitions that easily fell apart, noting that the 65 governments in the 93 years of the modern republic lasted an average of only 16 months.

The two main opposition parties, the CHP and the HDP, argue that the change would strip away counterweights to Erdogan's already significant influence over the government.

Thu Giang

(According to Reuters)