Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the parliamentary polls of June 7 a chance for the country to change the form of government and switch to a presidential system. He said that no one had had time to do it since the times of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, TASS reports.
52% of the Turkish population, according to Erdogan, approved of switching to a presidential system. The president considers the switch a necessary step to achieve the goals of the government (becoming one of the top 6 world states, improving standards of living and gaining more influence worldwide) by 2023.
Analysts say that the Turkish authorities are seriously committed to changing the form of government. Erdogan started promoting a presidential system as soon as he became president. He declared plans to form several offices in his administration that would duplicate the functions of ministries. A referendum to make the switch may happen already this year. The opposition is hostile towards the prospect, accusing Erdogan of authoritarianism and a hunger for power in a country where a parliamentary system has existed for 92 years.
