05 December 2016•Update: 06 December 2016
By Sarp Ozer
ANKARA
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Monday that a draft constitution would be proposed to parliament this week.
Prior to his official visit to Russia, Yildirim held a press conference at Ankara Esenboga Airport.
"The proposal for the constitutional amendment will be submitted to parliament this week," he said.
Yildirim added that he held a meeting with Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli on Monday evening. He said the two were "working on the technical details of the draft constitution".
"After my visit to Russia, we will hand our draft constitution proposal to the parliament," he added.
The government has long sought to replace the current parliamentary system with a presidential one, saying there are flaws in the set up, which also holds back Turkey’s development.
Last month, Yildirim said a committee within the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party had completed its work on a draft constitution that also included items for a presidential system.
The proposed changes would be put to a public referendum even if the government received the necessary votes in parliament, Yildirim had said.
The new constitutional draft needs 330 votes to pave the way for a referendum.
The AK Party, with 316 seats, and the MHP, with 40, both back the bill.
