The Turkish president said that he has no interest in being re-elected or running again, but what he is interested in is strengthening the country's authority with the steps he will take. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this in a statement to journalists on board the plane on his way back from Hungary, Turkish media reported, quoted by BTA.
"I have no interest in being re-elected or running again. What concerns us is how to enhance the reputation of our country with the steps we will take," he said, drawing attention to the need for a new constitution.
"Is it possible in such a rapidly changing world to achieve anything with the constitution of old Turkey, which was created in the conditions of a coup d'état and which, no matter how many amendments are made, still hides the putschist mentality within its ranks?" he asked. "Now we need a constitution proposed by civilians, not by coup plotters," Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Anadolu Agency.
Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) have long criticized the existing constitution, mainly because it was drafted after a military coup in 1980.
The path to adopting a new constitution is complicated, as the AKP does not have the necessary parliamentary majority to push the proposal through. In order to reach a referendum on the issue, the support of more than 30 opposition MPs is needed.