Turkish govt. paving way to presidential system

PanARMENIAN.Net - Bekir Bozdağ, a Turkish deputy prime minister in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, announced that the party has submitted a proposal to the parliamentary Constitutional Reconciliation Commission to switch to a presidential system, a move which opposition parties and opinion leaders say won't solve the problems Turkey is confronted with, according to Today’s Zaman.

"We think it is right to move Turkey to a presidential system, which can establish a strong leadership and create stability rather than disputes in the years ahead," Bozdağ told reporters.

The adoption of a presidential system has been a common point of debate in Turkey with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who supports a presidential system, frequently bringing the issue to the public's attention over the past year.

Many speculate that Erdoğan hopes to become Turkey's first president in the 2014 elections under a new presidential system as he can't run for prime minister again due to the AK Party's self-dictated rules, which don't allow deputies to run more than three consecutive times.

“It's not the presidential system which could help settle Turkey's problems,” said Atilla Kart, a Republican People's Party (CHP) member of the Constitutional Reconciliation Commission.

Opposition parties also accuse the AK Party for trying to design a political system that would suit the needs of Erdoğan, who is much criticized for having a tendency to govern by collecting all the powers for himself.