Turkish opposition parties meet to hold parliamentary system roadmap
Turkish six opposition parties are set to meet next weekend for talks on an strengthened parliamentary system, Diken news site reported on Saturday.
Called by the leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the meeting scheduled for February 12 will see attendance from centre-right Good Party (İYİP), Islamist Felicity Party, Democrat Party (DP), Future Party (GP) and Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), it said.
In October, the six parties began work for a document aimed at restoring the parliamentary system in the country. The text also includes clauses on limiting the presidential term in office to seven years and the president’s executive powers.
The meeting will lay on the table the clauses agreed upon by the parties in draft agreement on a return to Turkey’s parliamentary system, according to Diken.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was re-elected president in 2018 with vastly enhanced executive powers following a nationwide referendum marred by opposition allegations of vote-rigging. His political opponents accuse him of bypassing parliament through presidential decrees, undercutting the judiciary’s independence and of seeking to suppress all opposition to his rule.
The meeting arrives as polls show that Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) are suffering a slump in public support ahead of elections slated for 2023.
Sixty percent of Turks think the presidential system in Turkey is unsuccessful, according to a survey published last month by the Socio-Political Field Research Centre.
