Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday at a youth congress of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party said that the country was at a turning point with the transition of a parliamentary system to a presidential one.
“Turkey has now come to a turning point with the presidential government system,” he said.
Parliament last Friday passed a bill calling for early elections on June 24, cementing Turkey’s move from a parliamentary to a presidential system. In an April 2017 referendum, Turkish voters approved the switch.
Under the changes, the number of lawmakers in parliament rises from 550 to 600, presidential and parliamentary elections will be held every five years, and presidents can retain ties to their political party. The prime minister post is also abolished.
He also stated that Turkey is successfully continuing its fight against terrorism saying, “The terrorists neutralized in Afrin is almost 4,500. In northern Iraq, close to 300 terrorists have been neutralized.”
Operation Olive Branch was initiated on Jan. 20 in Afrin, located on Turkey’s southern border, to establish security and stability, eliminate terrorists of PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh, and save locals from the terrorists’ oppression and cruelty.
