Turkish parliament passes constitutions reforms

In a step forward to tighten grip on the power, the Turkish parliament passed a package of constitutional reforms aiming to turn the country in to the presidential regime instead of the current parliamentary one. The measure aims to expand the authorities of Presidet Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the coming period.
The decision marks a victory for Erdogan, a polarizing but overall popular figure, who critics view as increasingly autocratic.
In an all-night session that ended early Saturday, lawmakers voted in favor of a set of amendments presented by the ruling party, founded by Erdogan. The reform bill cleared the minimum threshold necessary to put the measures to a national referendum for final approval.
The vote took place with 488 lawmakers in the 550-seat assembly in attendance. A total of 339 parliamentarians voted yes, 142 no, five cast empty ballots and two were ruled out as invalid.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim celebrated the result saying the decision was now in the hands of the Turkish people who would make the right choice.
"Don't you ever doubt that the people will most certainly make the best decision regarding the constitutional reforms," he told lawmakers. "Our people will head to the polls, will vote with their hearts and minds and make the best choice for Turkey."
A public vote on the issue is expected as early as March 26, and no later than mid-April, according to officials of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.
In addition to changing the system of government, the reform bill would allow the president to keep ties with his party and restructure the nation's highest judicial body.
It increases the number of seats in the assembly to 600, lowers the minimum age of lawmakers to 18 and foresees simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections every five years.
Ruling party officials argue a strong presidency is needed for a strong Turkey capable of surmounting a broad array of internal and external security threats.
Opposition lawmakers see the changes as a bid to cement the powers of Erdogan, who has established a de-facto presidential system since coming into the office in 2014. Some complained that restrictions on the press and intense pressure to toe the line had left no space for them to air their views.
Lawmaker Bulent Tezcan warned parliament was "creating a one-man regime that will take (Turkey) wherever his appetite desires."
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the opposition Republican People's Party, regretted the assembly's decision to "hand over its own authority" and "betray" its history. He vowed to lead a "struggle for democracy" to have the reforms rejected in the referendum
Saturday's decision concludes almost two weeks of heated debates in the assembly, where lawmakers traded barbs and came to blows on more than one occasion. In one dramatic scene, a lawmaker handcuffed herself to the rostrum in a bid to stop deliberations.
With the almost full backing of the ruling party and newly allied nationalist party, the bill passed.
The result is a win for Erdogan, a founder of the Islamist-leaning AKP and the country's first directly elected president. He served as prime minister from 2003 to 2014.
Analysts predict the reforms would pass a national referendum as much of the public buys into the argument that a strong president would equal a stronger Turkey.