Turkey seeks referendum in April for presidential system

Turkey's ruling party is considering holding a referendum in April for a constitutional amendment on the presidential system.

The government revived plans endowing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with increased authority, therefore switching the country's system from a parliamentary one to a presidential one.

The Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) will introduce the amendment draft to parliament soon, said AKP Deputy Chairman Hayati Yazici on Wednesday during a televised interview with NTV.

If the draft is approved by parliament in January, the referendum will most likely take place in April, he stated.

The draft includes 12 to 15 articles delivering the AKP'S presidential model, he added.

"We will take inspiration from other countries' implementation but we will formulate our own model in line with our own conditions," Yazici said, referring to questions regarding whether the AKP's presidential model will resemble the "U.S. model" or the "French model."

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Tuesday supported the AKP's stance concerning the government seeking a referendum on a presidential system if the parliamentary quorum majority is met.

Turkey's opposition chairman, Bahceli, expressed support for the referendum during the party's weekly parliamentary meeting on Tuesday, after meeting with Prime Minister Yildirim on Monday to discuss the presidential system.

Switching from a parliamentary system to a presidential system has been a heated subject matter in Turkish politics since Recep Tayyip Erdogan became the country's first elected president in August 2014. Endit