LJUBLJANA - Turkish Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said on Tuesday that Turkish government was working on a constitutional amendment that would move Turkey's EU process forward, adding that Turkey would not hold early elections if it did not work out.
Turkey's chief prosecutor filed a lawsuit last month asking the Constitutional Court to shut down ruling Justice & Development (AK) Party and bar party executives, including PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, from politics for 5 years.
In a joint press conference with President of Slovenian National Assembly France Cukjati in Slovenian capital Ljubljana, Toptan said constitutional amendments that would carry Turkey's EU process forward is regarded more realistic rather than a comprehensive constitutional amendment package.
Erdogan's government may consider to pass "a medium-sized package of constitutional amendments" before Turkey's highest court reached a verdict on the closure case, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said on Tuesday.
"There is a consensus on constitutional amendment in Turkey. But when it was understood that a comprehensive amendment is too difficult to make, it has become more realistic to make a new amendment that would move Turkey's EU process forward. Turkish government is working on that," Toptan told reporters.
"Should we hold early elections if it does not work out or would it lead to a political crisis? Election is a key in democracies, as you would appreciate," he said. "But now, there is no climate of early elections in Turkey."
Toptan also asked Slovenia, which currently holds EU's rotating presidency, to open three negotiation chapters as soon as possible.
Following his joint press conference with Cukjati, Toptan met Jozef Jerovsek, chairman of Slovenian parliament's committee on foreign policy and Anton Kokalj, president of the parliamentary committee for EU affairs.
(TÇ-AÖ)