Constitution change will solve no problems in Turkey, Main opposition leader says

AMASYA

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Proposed constitutional amendments will do nothing to solve Turkey’s lingering problems, according to the head of the main opposition party. 

“Which problem of Turkey will be solved with this constitution change?” Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu asked during a rally held in the Black Sea province of Amasya on March 15.

“Will it solve the problems of farmers or tradesmen? Will it solve the terror problem? Will it bring in sustainability? Which problem will it solve? Will it solve the employment problems of the youth? Then why is such a change being made?” Kılıçdaroğlu said, adding that the proposed system “has no brakes” and could not call anyone to account.

Turkey can be taken over in 24 hours if the amendments are approved in the referendum on April 16, he said. 

“In this [suggested] system, if you persuade the president, you can take over the Turkish Republic in 24 hours at most. It doesn’t have any mechanism,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

“I’ll tell you what the main danger in this system is. Let’s say that we give all authority to a person. The person restructures the state. He can appoint anybody he wants. If one person or a group tricks this person, they can take over the Turkish Republic in one day. He will be appointing the ministers, general managers, police chiefs, muftis and department heads. The appointments can be published in the Official Gazette in an hour and all state cadres can change in 24 hours,” he also said. 

Turkey will hold a referendum to decide whether to change the government system into an executive presidency with vastly enhanced powers for the president or to protect the current parliamentary system. 
The “yes” vote is endorsed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the leadership of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), while the CHP and the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) are campaigning for a “no” vote.

Saying the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) worked for 30 to 35 years to seize the state, Kılıçdaroğlu noted that in the proposed system “one doesn’t need 30 years, because he can take over the state by persuading one person.”

“That charter should be the charter of us all. It should be the charter of those who don’t think like I do. No one should be forced to think like I do. The charter should be a document of conciliation. It should be the common ground of us all. We need to think together regardless of our parties. There are no flags of political parties here. Why not? Because the charter is not the charter of a party, but it belongs to all of us,” he added. 

During his speech, Kılıçdaroğlu said that if one wishes a biased president, then he should vote “yes.”

“If our citizen says: ‘The president should be impartial. The president is the insurance of the state and represents 80 million people,’ then he should vote ‘no,’” he also said. 

Kılıçdaroğlu also commented on the prime minister’s post, saying it had existed since the beginning of the Turkish Republic. 

“Why are we removing the prime ministerial post? If our citizen says, ‘There is no need for a prime minister in this country,’ then he will vote ‘yes.’ If you think the opposite, then you will vote ‘no,’” he said.