“I am not such a low person as to want this system just for myself, [and] I do not have enough energy to fight so much just for myself,” he said in the southern Kahramanmaras province, kicking off the Yes campaign for an April 16 referendum on constitutional changes, including the shift to a presidential system.
The campaign for April’s constitutional referendum was declared open by the Supreme Board of Elections on Thursday, meaning political parties are officially allowed to campaign on the proposed changes. The referendum will ask voters to vote Yes or No to an 18-article bill.
Erdogan reiterated his criticism of the No campaigners, saying, “They are not against the system, they are actually against the Turkish people.” The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) plans to start its No campaign with a media blitz on Monday and rallies in major cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir.
Saying that he has supported a presidential system since 1994-1998, when he was mayor of the Istanbul megalopolis -- where some one-fifth of Turkey's population lives -- the president said the constitutional changes would accelerate growth in many areas.
“The presidential system is my personal project. I have insisted on this reform since I was mayor. I have fought for it and I am [still] fighting for it because I believe that this system would benefit the country and nation like other projects [we have done],” he said.