Switch to Presidential Republic System Unlikely to Solve All Turkey's Problems

Mevlut Karakaya, the deputy president of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party said that his party supported the Turkey's transition to the presidential republic but the president would have to act in strict compliance with his rights and duties, which was not the case in the present.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Turkey will not be able to solve all its problems by becoming a presidential republic, as the personal factor is more important than the type of a system, Mevlut Karakaya, the deputy president of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party told Sputnik on Friday.

"Naturally, Turkey's transition to a presidential republic will not solve all of the problems since the personal factor plays a key part here, not presence or absence of a parliamentary system," Karakaya said, referring to a new constitution draft recently proposed by the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), under which there would be no prime minister.

The politician also said that his party supported the transition to the presidential republic but the president would have to act in strict compliance with his rights and duties, which was not the case in the present.

"This situation is plunging the country into collapse. We think this problem can only be solved by ensuring that the reality corresponds to the legislation," Karakaya said.

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 AK Party announced it would take the constitution to a referendum in any case.