Al Jazeera World

Where's Turkey Headed? Karamollaoglu And Kalin (2018x14)

Data di messa in onda: Giu 23, 2018

Millions of Turkish voters will head to the polls on June 24 to simultaneously elect a president and new members of parliament. It's the first time since the referendum last year when the people approved key constitutional amendments - giving more power to the presidency. Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) argue that a more powerful executive presidency makes Turkey more stable. But critics like Temel Karamollaoglu, presidential candidate and leader of the Saadet Party, warns that Erdogan is moving the country to a dictatorship and says the president is not doing enough to unite the Muslim world abroad. 'The new presidential system is going to lead Turkey to a dictatorship,' Karamollaoglu says. 'There is no doubt, because the parliament has no influence on the president. They can't control, they can't produce any values which will be effective, so the president, in fact, will decide whatever he thinks proper without consulting the parliament.' And although the people voted for the constitutional changes, Karamollaoglu believes that 'the public can make mistakes as well. It will be too late when they see, realise what the dangers are and what they will face.' 'We believe in separation of power ... The government should not have any influence on justice, on the courts. Today, the government directly controls and gives in fact orders to the courts. You can't have justice in a world like this,' he says. Asked about his chance to winning the presidency, he says, 'there are some rumours that certain tricks are prepared, but we don't know what will happen. When you take part in elections, you go there to win.' President Erdogan has been ruling Turkey for more than 15 years, and his spokesperson is confident that he will win another term - with increased powers. 'Those who claim that the new system will be some kind of an authoritarian autocracy, one