A bill to change the Constitution and governing system was submitted Saturday to parliament. Justice and Development [AK] Party's Group Deputy Chairman Mustafa Elitas submitted the bill to Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman with 316 signatures -- the total number of ruling party's seats. The party’s Gaziantep deputy Abdulhamit Gul said 21 articles would be changed in the current Constitution.
"The bill shows the national consensus. This is a nationwide agreement," he told reporters at a press conference. Nationalist Movement Party's Afyonkarahisar deputy Mehmet Parsak said "removing 'Turk' expression is not part of the bill."
"It cannot be even put into discussion. The first four articles of our Constitution is out of discussion," he added. After receiving the bill, Kahraman said it consists of "a rooted change" to the Constitution. The bill allows the elected president to maintain ties with his own party.
The president would also have executive power and can assign vice presidents, if the parliament approves the amendments. The number of deputies will also increase to 600 from 550. The authority to propose the bill of law would belong to lawmakers, but the president would be authorized to prepare and present the budget law. The budget would be accepted with the approval of the assembly.