Turkey's president denies he is seeking another term in push for new constitution

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted Wednesday that his push for a new constitution is a “steadfast” national goal, aiming to deflect accusations that the move is personally motivated to allow him to seek another term in office. Under the current constitution, Erdogan, who has been in power for 22 years, serving as prime minister from 2003 before assuming the presidency in 2014, cannot seek another presidential term. The charter limits presidents to two terms under Article 101. [ . . . ] To initiate a national referendum on a new charter, Erdogan must secure the backing of at least 360 lawmakers from the 600-seat parliament. If he were to obtain 400 votes, he could bypass the referendum process entirely and amend the constitution directly through parliament. However, his ruling coalition, which includes the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), currently commands only 321 seats, well short of the required threshold.  While Article 116 permits a third presidential bid if the parliament calls for early elections during a second term, the 2017 constitutional referendum that expanded Erdogan’s powers kept the two-term cap in place.
Read the full article here: The New Region