TURKEY:Turkey's ruling party has proposed a series of constitutional reforms that would radically alter the way the country is governed, as MPs voted yesterday to hold a general election on July 22nd in an attempt to end a crippling political crisis.
The proposals from the Justice and Development party (AKP) of Recep Tayyip Erdogan include a call for a president elected by popular vote instead of by parliament, as is currently the case.
A bruising fight over the presidency in the past few days has thrown Turkey's political system into chaos, sparked a threat of intervention from the military, and exposed deep divisions between secularists and religious conservatives.
Many analysts say the developments provide a strong argument for allowing voters, rather than MPs, to elect the head of state. However it seems unlikely that parliament will agree to this specific measure because it might hand too much power in the long term to AKP, the most popular political movement.
The crisis was initiated when the AKP, which is rooted in political Islam, proposed Abdullah Gul, the foreign minister, as its presidential nominee. His candidacy provoked fierce opposition from secular parties.
In an effort to appeal directly to the public over parliament's head, the AKP has proposed that parliament change the constitution to allow a popular vote.
The AKP wants to allow a president to serve up to two five-year terms, instead of one seven-year term. It also proposes holding parliamentary elections every four years rather than five.
Ayshe Ayata, a political scientist at Middle East Technical University, said that seeking a directly elected president appeared to be motivated by the government's view that its large, but not decisive, majority in parliament entitled it to change the constitution to achieve goals that were denied to it by parliament.
"This is very worrying if you are aware of Turkish politics," she said.