Turkey's president renews push for new constitution as critics remain concerned over term limits

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he has no personal ambition to seek re-election, saying that his push for a new constitution is intended to benefit the country, not extend his political career, the İHA news agency reported. [ . . . ] Turkey’s current constitution was drafted following a military coup in 1980 and is criticized for being anti-democratic. While Erdoğan insists his reform push is about democratization, critics suspect it may open the door for yet another term in office. Under the current presidential system, adopted in a 2017 referendum, the president can serve two five-year terms. Erdoğan was elected president in 2014 under the old parliamentary system and re-elected in 2018 and 2023 under the new executive presidency. Legal experts remain divided on whether a third term under the revised system would require a constitutional amendment or a snap election, which resets the term count. Changing the constitution would require either a three-fifths parliamentary majority, 360 out of 600 seats, to trigger a referendum, or a two-thirds supermajority, 400 seats, for direct approval. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its far-right allies currently fall short of both thresholds, making any constitutional overhaul contingent on opposition support.
Read the full article here: Turkish Minute