Constitutional changes will galvanize Turkey: Erdogan

ANKARA Once adopted, the sweeping constitutional changes now facing parliament will serve to re-energize Turkey, said the nation’s president Saturday. "Entry into force of the constitutional changes debated by parliament will have a galvanizing effect on our country," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Istanbul, at the opening of a new building for Borsa Istanbul, the nation's stock exchange. "No one can stand in front of the new Turkey's rise and building itself up," he added. Erdogan stressed that the final decision on the proposed changes, including a shift to an executive presidential system, would be made by the Turkish people in a referendum following the required passage by parliament. "The nation's will is very important for that. Right now there is an understanding [in parliament] which cannot tolerate the national will and also cannot tolerate it [the changes] going to a referendum." 3 more articles passed since Friday By a vote of 341-134, with one abstention, Turkish lawmakers early Saturday passed Article 11 of the constitutional reform package, which deals with presidential and parliamentary elections. Constitutional changes require a three-fifths majority vote, or at least 330 deputies. Under Article 11, presidential and parliamentary elections would be held at the same time. Also, both the president and deputies would serve five-year terms, and the president could be reelected for a second term if parliament approves. On Friday, lawmakers adopted Articles 9 and 10 of the package, which deals with criminal liability for the president and top officials. Both articles require lawmakers to discuss any proposal to investigate alleged crimes by the president, vice president, or Cabinet within one month, and three-fifths of deputies would have to approve in secret ballot any decision to launch an inquiry. An inquiry would be conducted by a commission of 15 parliamentary deputies. The commission would submit a report on the inquiry’s outcome to the parliament speaker within two months. If the inquiry could not be completed within that period, the commission would be given one additional month. Seven more constitutional amendments are due to be voted on, and all the articles will face a second round of voting, as the Constitution specifies. Erdogan also spoke about changes to the way foreigners could gain Turkish citizenship. "People who enter Turkey with $2 million in investment or bring $2 million [to Turkey] can gain Turkish citizenship," he said. These changes amount to a “new understanding” of “global citizenship,” the president suggested.