The universal referendum on constitutional reform will take place in
Turkey on September 12 this year, the Central Election Committee said
on Thursday, RIA Novosti reports.
The government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan had planned a referendum in
July. However, the committee said that the referendum can only be held
120 days after the vote on the package of constitutional amendments in
parliament - that is, September 12th.
The package of constitutional amendments prepared by the Justice and
Development Party (JDP) was approved by parliament in early May. It
involves 29 changes to the Turkish Constitution, adopted after the
revolution of 1980. The amendments concern reforming the Turkish
judicial system, in particular, the Turkish Constitutional and Supreme
Courts,
The reform also introduces the institution of ombudsmen and allows
state employees to make collective agreements and hold strikes.
