Lawmakers Reviewing Details of Turkish Constitutional Proposals - Prime Minister

The Turkish constitutional amendment package, which includes a new presidential system, is still being reviewed and is expected to brought to Parliament later this week, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The proposal is expected to be presented to parliament by the end of this week, according to Yildirim.

"The deputies are still discussing on some points of the package. They are reporting about these meetings to us and [MHP party leader] Mr. Bahceli. Reviewing on the proposal will continue until we introduce it. The package will also be discussed at the Constitution Commission," the prime minister said at the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters, as cited by the Daily Sabah newspaper.

In a meeting between Yildirim and Bahceli, the two leaders reportedly agreed on the details of the constitutional package.

Under the new constitution, there would be no prime minister in the political system, while the president would be a member of a political party.

The draft is supported by the AKP, holding 316 seats, and the MHP, with 40 seats in the parliament. The CHP and pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) oppose the initiative, blaming President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for seeking to establish a one-man rule.

In order to secure a referendum to replace the parliamentary republic by the presidential system, the constitutional draft needs 330 votes, while it could pass directly without a referendum if approved by more than 367 parliamentarians. However, the AKP announced it would take the constitution to a referendum in any case.