With these constitutional amendments, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wants to get power in Turkey, but without any checks and balances.
Garo Paylan, Istanbul Armenian MP of the opposition pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) of Turkey, told about the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am. He said this as he reflected on Sunday’s constitutional referendum in the country, and as a result of which the Erdoğan-led “Yes” campaign received more than 50 percent of the votes.
Paylan noted that the presidential system will affect the political opposition in Turkey because the political force that gets more than 50 percent will form a majority, and therefore it can do what it wants.
The Armenian MP recalled that the HDP wanted peace at any cost, but Erdoğan was trying in every way to put pressure on opposition parties. Garo Paylan added, however, that even though the Turkish president will continue such actions, they will continue to fight.
According to preliminary results, the “Yes” campaign has won Sunday’s plebiscite by garnering 51.2 percent of the votes.
Eighteen constitutional amendments were put to the vote on Sunday, and according to which Turkey is to transition from a parliamentary to a presidential system of governance. Turkish opposition and international analysts stress, however, that with these amendments, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is gaining the sole right to govern Turkey, and that this is perilous for democracy and freedoms in the country.