Turkish MPs slug it out over bill to give President Erdogan more power
Ankara — Turkish MPs brawled and threw chairs on Thursday in passing three more clauses of a bill bolstering President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers. They have since the start of the week been debating the first reading of the 18-clause bill to change the constitution to create an executive presidency. A brawl erupted in the chamber in overnight voting. MPs swapped punches and threw chairs around. Dozens crowded around the speaker’s rostrum. One MP was locked in a chokehold and another kicked in the shins. The proposed changes will do away with a cabinet, but there will be ministers, whom the president will have the power to appoint and fire. Clauses approved deal with lowering the minimum age for MPs from 25 to 18, increasing parliamentary terms from four to five years defining parliament’s powers. Five of the 18 clauses were approved by the three-fifths majority required for the new constitution to be submitted to a referendum expected in April. The ruling Justice and Development ...
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