A parliamentary committee early Friday approved a bill proposing a set of constitutional changes, including a switch to a presidential system of governance in Turkey.
The bill, backed by the ruling Justice and Development AKP’s 316 lawmakers, was now expected to be put to vote in the parliament after the committee’s approval came following nine days of talks.
The proposed law gives executive powers to the president and vice presidents while abolishing the post of prime minister, lowering the age of candidacy for parliament from 25 to 18, and increasing the number of parliamentarians from 550 to 600 in accordance with the country’s growing population.
It also proposes to hold general elections every 5 years, instead of the current every four years, and the presidential election will also take place on the same days.