Bekir Ağırdır: They Muddy the Water with 40 Percent Suggestion, They Cannot Do it

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KONDA Research General Manager Bekir Ağırdır has spoken to bianet about the suggestion put forward by former minister Faruk Çelik "to lower the current 50+1 percent Presidential election threshold to 40 percent".

Addressing the suggestion, for which President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pointed at the Parliament, Ağırdır has said, "A referendum has to be held for the Constitutional amendment as well. People will not accept it".

Speaking to Independent Turkish on September 30, Faruk Çelik, one of the founders of the ruling AKP and a former minister, made statements about the new Presidential Government System.

Suggesting that the current 50 percent plus one Presidential election threshold should be changed, Çelik said, "In the Presidential Government System, a threshold of 50 percent plus one at the Presidential election will tire Turkey. The threshold should be 40 percent".

Two different statements by Erdoğan

While the opposition have reacted against the statements of Faruk Çelik, President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made two different statements about the issue yesterday (October 1).

Answering the questions of journalists at the opening ceremony of the new legislative year, Erdoğan said,

"The place to discuss it is here [Grand National Assembly of Turkey]. Because it requires a Constitutional amendment. We, as the ruling party, only make our own preliminary preparation. We can bring our preliminary preparation here. And, in order to do that, the ruling party and the opposition should join hands and it can happen if it is possible after that."

Erdoğan said, 'It is not our job'

Speaking at the reception held for the opening of the new legislative year in the evening of the same day, Erdoğan also said,

"It was we who brought the current situation to the Parliament, it was also we who brought it to our people. Since it was approved by the vast majority of our people, it will not suit with the political seriousness. If something like that happens, it is not a job to be undertaken by us, but by the opposition."

Ağırdır: They will not dare to do it

Speaking to bianet, KONDA Research General Manager Bekir Ağırdır has reminded us that the Constitution needs to be amended so that the threshold can be lowered to 40 percent and stated the following:

"A referendum has to be held for a Constitutional amendment. People will not accept something like that at the referendum and, for this reason, they will not dare to do it. They are just muddying the water, they cannot do anything". (RT/SD)

* Photograph: T24