The Turkish government will seek a referendum on the executive presidency sought by incumbent Tayyip Erdogan, whether or not the controversial constitutional amendment passes parliament, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday. Any constitutional change requires the support of at least 367 deputies in the 550-seat assembly to pass directly, and Yildirim's ruling AK Party has 317 seats. The reform would go to a referendum if it gets support of 330 lawmakers. Turkey's nationalist opposition is in favor of maintaining the country's parliamentary system but is not against holding a referendum on introducing an executive presidency, its leader Devlet Bahceli said on Tuesday. The government said last week it would revive efforts to change the constitution and expand the powers of the presidency, helping send the lira currency to a record low as investors worried about renewed political uncertainty. President Tayyip Erdogan has long sought a stronger presidency, but the issue remains a divisive one, with Erdogan's critics fearing it would give him too much power. "The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is in favor of the continuation of the parliamentary system but also does not see a problem in asking the people their view," Bahceli said in a speech to his party's lawmakers. The two biggest opposition parties, the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), both oppose ending Turkey's parliamentary system and some opinion polls in the past have shown a majority of Turks also do not want the change. — Reuters
