Turkey needs 'stable' government, Erdogan says

By Ahmet Sait Akcay

ANKARA (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said Turkey needed a stable government to be strong.

Addressing a rally in the northwestern province of Sakarya ahead of the April 16 constitutional referendum, Erdogan highlighted the need for a new system to tackle problems within the current parliamentarian system, saying "Turkey needs a stable government to become a powerful and great country".

The president said the coalition governments had cost Turkey $850 billion between 1991 and 2002.

"If Turkey had been run by a stable government since 1991, now our growth rate would have doubled," he said.

Erdogan added the developing countries were run under presidential and semi-presidential systems and clarified the role of the parliament and the president.

"The president should abide by the Constitution and there shall be no statutory decrees above it," he stressed.

He said that there was no reason for those who are part of this nation to vote against the constitutional amendments, adding, “If we are asking for your support for the presidential system today, it is because we believe it is in favor of our nation and the country.

"We see national democrats stand by the presidential system, while the separatists and external powers are against it. Those who are part of this land and nation have no reason to go against constitutional change," he said.

On April 16, the electorate in Turkey will be asked to vote Yes or No to an 18-article reform bill, which would also change the current parliamentary system to a presidential one. The Yes campaign is backed by the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

The constitutional changes have been discussed since Erdogan was voted president in August 2014. The 18-article bill was passed by parliament in January, with 339 votes in favor -- nine more than needed to put the proposal to a referendum.

The reforms would hand wide-ranging executive powers to the president and the post of prime minister would be abolished. The president would also be allowed to retain ties to a political party.

Other changes would see the minimum age for parliamentary candidates reduced to 18 and the number of deputies rise to 600. Simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections for a five-year term would be held in November 2019 under the new constitution.