(MENAFN- AzerNews) Türkiye may take steps toward making a constitutional amendment
to change the 50%+1 vote requirement in presidential polls after
Sunday's elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday,
Azernews reports citing Daily Sabah.
"A step could be taken regarding this matter. It requires a
constitutional amendment and we may take action after the
elections," the president said, in response to a question about if
he would be interested in changing the law that requires candidates
to receive over 50% of the vote, which forced Political parties to
forge alliances.
On June 24, 2018, Türkiye officially switched its administrative
structure through an election and embraced the presidential system,
leaving the parliamentary system behind.
Erdogan also said Türkiye has favorable relations with both the
United States and Russia.
Türkiye is "friends with America and Russia and those who are
spiteful toward us in the West," Erdogan said during a live
broadcast with several Turkish television channels ahead of
Sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections.
Erdogan's remarks came a day after Kemal Kilicdaroglu, joint
candidate for the six-party opposition Nation Alliance, on Thursday
accused Russia of being behind video content allegedly discrediting
candidates for the presidency in the upcoming May 14 elections.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday rejected
accusations, saying there can be no question of any interference of
Russia in the Turkish elections, and "those who spread such rumors
are liars."
Russia values ties with Türkiye because it takes "a very
responsible, sovereign and thoughtful position," he added.
In Türkiye, the presidential and parliamentary elections will
take place on May 14.
On the presidential ballot, voters will choose between Erdogan,
Kilicdaroglu and Sinan Ogan. Muharrem Ince, another presidential
contender, withdrew from the race on Thursday.
When asked about criticism that he would not leave office
following an opposition election win, Erdogan said that he would
consider any result that comes out of the ballot box as
"legitimate."
Earlier on Friday, Erdogan blasted Kilicdaroglu over his remarks
on Russia.
Kilicdaroglu "is attacking (Russian President Vladimir) Putin
and Russia," Erdogan told a youth event in Istanbul.
Recalling a 2019 interview by U.S. President Joe Biden who said
the U.S. could support opposition elements in Türkiye to change the
tide of political developments, Erdogan said: "But you are
helpless, a loser."
"But when you attack Putin now, I'm sorry, I won't accept it,"
he said.
"Because our relations with Russia are not behind our relations
with the U.S. at the moment," he said, adding that Türkiye's
foreign trade volume with Russia is more than the U.S.
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