Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, October 4, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey’s ruling AK Party has finished working on its proposal for a constitutional change to create an executive presidency and is now ready to submit it to parliament, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday.

“We have finished our work for the new constitution and the executive presidency,” Yildirim said in a speech closing a two-day party conference. “What we will do now is to take our proposition to the parliament as soon as possible, and leave it to the decision of the noble parliament.”

Members of the AKP have been meeting in the western Afyon province this weekend, with much of the focus on work related to the proposed executive presidency. President Tayyip Erdogan, who founded the AKP, has long sought a presidency with greater power. Critics fear the change could consolidate too much power in his hands.