Recep Tayyip Erdoğan makes first major speech since his ruling AK party won back its majority in snap election at weekend

Turkey’s parliament should prioritise discussions on a new constitution, the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has said, in his first major speech since the ruling AK party won back its majority in a snap election at the weekend.



Speaking in the capital, Erdoğan said the prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, would consult opposition leaders on rewriting the constitution. If those negotiations failed, Erdoğan said he would back a decision to consult the electorate on the issue, Reuters reported.

Erdoğan has repeatedly made clear his desire for a constitutional change to usher in an executive presidency to give him greater power, a suggestion that has irked opponents who accuse him of becoming increasingly authoritarian. He did not directly mention the highly contentious move on Wednesday, but an aide told reporters a referendum on the changes was back on the table.

“What is the best model for us? Taking into consideration the results of the 1 November election, this is something that will be settled by asking the people,” spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said. “This debate cannot be considered independently from the people. If the mechanism is a referendum then a referendum can take place,” Kalin added, according to an Associated Press report.

Despite its stunning victory on Sunday, however, the AKP is still 13 seats short of the 330 required to call a referendum on any constitutional change. Kalin did not say how those limitations can be overcome and it was not clear if the AKP would seek the support of other parties represented in parliament.

Turkey election: Erdoğan and AKP return to power with outright majority Read more

In his speech, Erdoğan said Turkey would continue its fight against Kurdish insurgents until every last militant was “liquidated”. Operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) would continue until its militants buried their arms, he said.

Soon after he spoke, the general staff said on its website two soldiers and 15 PKK militants had been killed in clashes near the village of Daglica by the Iraqi border, which the military had targeted with airstrikes on Tuesday.

Turkish jets also pounded PKK targets in northern Iraq on Tuesday for a second day, the military also said.

Hundreds of people have been killed since July, after a ceasefire with the PKK collapsed, sparking some of the worst clashes in years.