ANKARA, Nov 18 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considers it «prudent» to change the 50+1 system for presidential elections, which he says will lead to elections being faster and less labor-intensive.
According to the “50+1” electoral model, the candidate who receives an absolute majority of valid votes, that is, at least one vote more than 50%, is elected president of Turkey. If this majority is not achieved in the first round of voting, then a second round of voting is held. In the last presidential elections in Turkey in May, the current president and leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, won 49.51% against 44.88% for the opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. In the second round of elections, Erdogan received 52.18% of the votes, and Kılıçdaroğlu — 47.82%.
«I agree that the 50+1 requirement should be changed, it would be prudent. If the procedure for electing the candidate with the majority of votes is adopted, then presidential elections will be faster, less time-consuming and will not lead to wrong paths,» — the Turkish leader told reporters on the plane upon returning from Berlin.
According to him, “the spirit of the putschist mentality hovers between the lines of the current Turkish Constitution.”
«»This is the issue that concerns us most. Moreover, the world has changed greatly since the 1980s. And although these changes have been attempted to be reflected in the text of the constitution, this has destroyed the textual integrity of our constitution. One of our most important goals is to create Turkey has a new, civil, inclusive constitution that fully meets the needs of the times. We have started work on a new constitution several times in parliament, but it has always remained unfinished due to obstacles from the opposition and its failure to fulfill its promises. We stand by our promises, we want “so that our people achieve what they deserve,” the Turkish leader emphasized.