Turkey was a key step closer on Monday to dramatically expanding the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after parliament approved, on first reading, a bill critics fear will lead to a one-man rule. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus wrote on Twitter that with the changes "God willing, Turkey will reach a more efficient governance model." "The constitutional changes pressed by the ruling party are not good news for Turkey," Faruk Logoglu, former deputy leader of the CHP, told AFP. "The constitutional changes will boost our country. Prime minister from 2003 before becoming president in 2014, Erdogan has transformed Turkey in one-and-a-half decades in power, overseeing ambitious infrastructure projects and an industrial resurgence.

Source: Egypt Independent January 16, 2017 11:00 UTC