President Tayyip Erdogan has long wanted an executive presidency, a Turkish version of the system in the United States or France, saying the country needs strong leadership. The government said last week it would revive efforts to change the constitution after the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the smallest of the four parties in parliament, indicated it would not oppose a national vote on the issue. "If the AKP brings its plans to parliament and takes into account our principles and sensitivities, I believe a reasonable outcome will be achieved." The two biggest opposition parties, the secularist CHP and the pro-Kurdish HDP, both oppose an executive presidency and some opinion polls have shown a majority of Turks do not want the change. A poll two weeks after the attempted putsch showed him with two-thirds approval, his highest ever.

Source: Egypt Independent October 18, 2016 11:26 UTC