Turkish President vetoes constitutional changes on public elect country's leaderMay 26, 2007 - 15:15 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has vetoed a set of constitutional changes that would have let the public elect the country's head of state. The amendment was prompted after secular opposition lawmakers boycotted a vote to elect the Islamist-rooted ruling party's candidate, Abdullah Gul.Mr Gul, the foreign minister, withdrew his candidacy and the government called early general elections for 22 July. Under the current system, the president is elected by parliament. It was widely expected that Mr Sezer would reject the package of reforms. In a statement, the secularist president said there was "no justifiable and acceptable reason or necessity" for the amendment. He said the changes could threaten Turkey's democratic system as a president elected by popular vote could further challenge parliament, which is also directly elected. "In the parliamentary system, these broad powers envisaged to achieve a balance of power could produce results which are troublesome for the regime ... if the president is chosen by the people," Mr Sezer said. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated that his government will try to push the reform through parliament again unchanged. But Mr Sezer cannot veto the same bill twice. He would either have to approve the law or call a referendum. The reforms included a proposal letting the public elect a president for a five-year term that could be renewed once. Currently, parliament elects Turkey's president for one non-renewable seven-year term, BBC reports. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan. Lemkin Institue slams Pashinyan's “cryptic engagement with Genocide denial” The Lemkin Institute is alarmed over Pashinyan’s statements “questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Turkey”. 41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan 41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience. Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. |