MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In April, Turkey is expected to hold a referendum, during which the public will vote on 18 amendments to the country's constitution. One such amendment proposes the replacement of the country’s parliamentary system of government with an executive presidency.
"I believe the referendum process is a motivator for [terror organizations]. They can create an atmosphere of fear in Turkey by using terrorist [attacks] in order to block the ‘yes’ votes in the referendum," Kurtulmus told the Anadolu Agency, as cited by the Hurriyet newspaper.
The deputy prime minister said, as cited by the newspaper, that the primary focus of the referendum campaign would be to promote "a more powerful government model," and a "more efficient" framework of eliminating terrorism.
On New Year's Day, Daesh claimed responsibility for an attack on an Istanbul nightclub, which saw at least 39 people killed, and 69 more injured.
