Is Sunday the End of the Road for Turkey as a Secular Country?
Turkey has long been a shining (only) example of how a Muslim majority country can exist as a progressive society with freedoms, rights and a secular rule of law. But slowly, as power has become more centralized in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, the liberty and secularism that made Turkey so unique has been eroded. The culmination of this is coming on Sunday as Turks go to the polls to vote on a referendum to change the very system of government from a Parliamentary Democracy, to a bastardized Presidential Dictatorship.
The aim is to change from a Parliamentary to a Presidential system.
It is being done as a referendum because Parliament refused the constitutional changes (less than two thirds of the vote).
There are a total of 18 Amendments in the bill.
If he wins this referendum, he could stand for President for ANOTHER two terms and reclaim his place as party leader.
The abolition of the post of prime minister. The president will appoint the cabinet and will have a number of vice-presidents. Parliament will no longer oversee the ministers as their power to initiate a motion of no confidence will be removed.
The president will no longer have to be neutral, but will be able to maintain an affiliation to his political party. Currently the president has to sever ties with his party once he is elected.
The number of members of parliament will be increased from 550 to 600 and their minimum age lowered to 18.
It will be possible for the president to be impeached by parliament. At the moment he could only be prosecuted by the legislature if he committed treason.
The abolition of military courts.
The president will be able to appoint four out of 13 judges to the highest judicial board in the country.
Make no mistake, Erdo?an gets much of his support because he IS and Islamist. When this power becomes his, Turkey will once again become an Islam run state; and possibly ISIS’ biggest ally.
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