ANKARA, 11 May 2007 — Turkey’s Parliament yesterday approved a major constitutional amendment to allow the president to be elected directly by voters, a move that could fan fresh tensions between the Islamist-rooted government and secularists.
However, the amendment, backed by more than two-thirds of MPs in the 550-seat assembly, must be signed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to become law. Sezer, often at odds with the government, has signaled he might veto the law.
The reform envisages Turkey’s president being elected for a five-year term, renewable for a further five years. Parliament now elects the president for a non-renewable seven-year period. The ruling center-right AK Party decided to push the reform in a direct appeal to voters after losing a battle with Turkey’s secular elite, which includes army generals and top judges, to get its presidential candidate, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, elected in Parliament, analysts say.
“The AK Party did not have much choice after Gul was blocked, but they (army) may see this as a counterattack,” said academic and Middle East expert Cengiz Candar.
“Whether this counterattack will be sustainable is difficult to say. We have to wait and see what the actions of the hard-line secularists will be,” he added.
Parliament has now postponed the presidential contest until after a July 22 general election. Sezer will stay in office in an interim capacity until his successor can be chosen.
The political turmoil has unnerved financial markets.
AK has said it may take the presidential election issue to a referendum if Sezer or the courts block it. Opinion polls show strong public support for the reform.
AK says the constitutional reform aims to make Turkey — a secular but predominantly Muslim country — more democratic. Critics say they have not been properly thought out and could upset the checks and balances in the constitution.
Critics say Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan knows the reform is unlikely to be enacted before July’s vote, and that he is merely trying to impress voters after opposition parties blocked Gul’s election.
