Turkish PM says he won’t be a traditional president

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Confident that he will win presidential elections in the first round, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has declared that he will not be a “traditional president,” hinting that his term will include the unprecedented implementation of powers given to the country’s head of state by the Constitution.

“The position of the Çankaya [the presidency] is very different in our republic. In the event of our election [as the president], there will be some implementations. When talking about these implementations, I already said, ‘I will use the powers given by the Constitution.’  I will not be a traditional president; a president that follows the precedent,” Erdoğan said in an interview with Kanal 7 late July 27. “I will fulfill presidential duties as they are described in the Constitution.”

According to the Turkish Constitution, the president is defined as the head of the executive and has the right to chair Cabinet meetings. The president also has the right to dissolve Parliament when necessary to pave the way for early elections. These rights were introduced into the Constitution by the military junta in 1982 and have not been used by presidents. Erdoğan earlier said he might not chair the Cabinet every week but could do it bi-monthly as he does with the National Security Council (MGK).

Erdoğan expressed his confidence that he would win the first-round polls outright on Aug. 10, as a number of public opinion polls have suggested he will obtain 54 to 58 percent of votes, with some findings signaling that opposition voters could also vote for him.

Criticizing some columnists and commentators who said he would be no different than previous presidents, the prime minister said...

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