Parliament Adopts First Article Of Constitutional Amendment Bill

ANKARA - Turkish parliament approved on Monday the first article of a constitutional amendment package regarding general and presidential elections.
368 MPs voted `yes`, one `no`, and one vote has been nullified in a secret ballot for the first article which allows for holding general elections every four years instead of five.
The bill would also allow the election of the president by popular vote, lowering presidential term to five years, allowing for another five-year term.
The amendment was vetoed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer last week.
Meanwhile, Yilmaz Kaya, a lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People`s Party (CHP) said that the ongoing parliamentary debate on the amendment bill "has transformed into a campaign against the president."
Mevlüt Akgün, Justice & Development (AK) Party MP from Karaman told the General Assembly that President Sezer`s justifications for vetoing the amendment were "political rather than legal."