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Erdogan seeks a majority in parliament to amend the constitution

August 15, 2014 at 11:19 am

Turkey’s President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his AK Party would seek a majority of seats in the upcoming parliament, enabling it to pass the necessary constitutional amendments to restructure the government, Anadolu news agency reported.

During a reception at the AK Party’s headquarters on Thursday, on the occasion of the party’s 13th anniversary, Erdogan said that the presidential election was the “starting point” for the coming parliamentary elections, as it showed the popular support the party enjoys. But he also stressed that there is a need to carefully prepare for the elections, pointing out that the party is scheduled to hold its first “emergency meeting” on 27 August.

Erdogan added that Turkey is “holding firmly” in all fields, especially the defence industry, but that it should do more to achieve the 2023 goals outlined in his platform, to coincide with the first centenary of the Turkish Republic.

Preparations to meet these goals require a number of prerequisites, such as “improving the GDP, raising export rates, reducing external debt, reducing the exchange rate and reducing the current account deficit,” he said.