AKP-MHP brought up the constitutional amendment that will legalize the dictatorship of Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan to the parliament.

Speaking in the parliamentary session, HDP Group Deputy Chair Ahmet Yıldırım read the petition sent by HDP Co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş to the Speaker's Office from prison. In the petition, Demirtaş demanded that necessary precautions be taken for their right to secret ballot in the constitutional amendment.

Demirtaş said that: "As 11 members of the Parliament are politically 'taken hostage' through unlawful ways and their right to vote in the constitutional amendment is virtually seized, the discussion and voting to be held will be controversial, unlawful and have questionable legitimacy. The letters consisting of our political view that we have sent to the Parliament are first sent to the Ministry of Justice and then unlawfully seized with a secret instruction of the ministry. Our imprisonment cannot lead to the restriction of our authority to legislation and supervision by any means. With regard to authority, right and responsibility, we have no single difference from the other members of the Parliament. In this scope, me and 10 other jailed deputies have the right to secret ballot in every voting. We demand that the voting does not begin without us being granted this right for it will otherwise constitute a breach of the Internal Regulation and Constitution.”

ALL AUTHORITIES TO BE HANDED OVER TO ERDOĞAN

With the mentioned constitutional amendment, the executive power will be handed over to the President. While the number of parliament members is increased from 550 to 600, the age of candidacy is lowered to 18. General elections will be held once in 5 years and take place on the same day with presidential elections.

The amendment will also give the Cabinet of Ministers the authority to enact decrees on certain subjects and to de facto obstruct the works of the opposition parties in the Parliament. The amendment also enables the President to be a member of a political party.

The President to be elected will be granted a right to remain in office even after the ending of his/her term, to appoint/dismiss ministers from inside or outside the Parliament, and to establish his/her own cabinet with the title of the President of the State.

The President will also be authorized to determine the 'national security policies' and take necessary measures in this regard.

POLICE ATTACK IN FRONT OF THE PARLIAMENT

On the other hand, the Turkish Parliament in capital Ankara remains under police blockade since before the beginning of today's session. All the ways leading to the Parliament have been closed to traffic and riot police have attacked the groups that came to the Parliament to protest the amendment.