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That might explain why the AK Party leadership is pushing the proposals through parliament as quickly as it can. But it is not just the MHPs grassroots that are disgruntled.

Many of Mr Erdoans former comrades-in-arms like his predecessor as president, Abdullah Gl are opposed to an executive presidency. Everyone knows that I see a parliamentary system as a better, more suitable system, Mr Gl told an audience at Londons Chatham House in November 2014. To be able to have that sort of a presidential regime, you need to check everything. You need to have your balances in the right place.

But these days, Mr Gl keeps very quiet. Such isthe extent of the crackdownfollowing last Julys coup attempt, and the environment of fear and intimidation,that not even an ex-president is willing to speak out.

Loved by one half and loathed by the other, Mr Erdoan is the countrys most divisive politician. He could squeeze out a victory in Aprils referendum. That result would strip away the few powers that keep him in check. For Turkeys massive, disenchanted minority, that result would leave no hope.

Michael Daventry is a Turkish journalist based in London and editor of the Turkish community newspaper Haber

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan is about to make himself a virtual dictator in Turkey - Telegraph.co.uk

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Erdogan Says Troops Will Be in Cyprus 'Forever,' Complicating Hopes of Reuniting New York Times Greece is fleeing again from a solution to the Cyprus problem, the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told reporters in Istanbul on Friday. Turkey will be in Cyprus forever. That said, Mr. Erdogan often takes a firmer line with domestic audiences ... Turkish troops to remain on Cyprus, says ErdoganIrish Times Cyprus talks: Erdogan dismisses full Turkish troop withdrawalBBC News EU--Cyprus TalksYahoo News Middle East Eye -Deutsche Welle all 240 news articles »

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Erdogan Says Troops Will Be in Cyprus 'Forever,' Complicating Hopes of Reuniting - New York Times

Turkish lawmakers begin a second round of voting Wednesday on controversial reforms that would hand sweeping powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The 18-article constitutional reform package -- put forward by Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) -- would turn Turkey's parliamentary system into a presidential one, effectively consolidating the power of three legislative bodies into one executive branch with the president as its head.

The reforms would also abolish the role of prime minister while granting authority to the president to issue law, declare states of emergency, dismiss parliament and to appoint ministers, public officials and half of the senior judges. It's known as the "power bill."

The bill would also allow Erdogan -- who served as prime minister from 2002 to 2014 before becoming president -- to extend his term in office until at least 2029.

Parliament can change the constitution directly if the bill gets 367 yes votes -- a two-thirds majority -- in the 550-seat assembly. But if the bill only gets between 330 and 366 votes, it must be put to the public in a referendum.

The AKP holds 317 seats and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has 39. Both parties support the changes -- so if all of their members vote yes, they will have 356 votes in favor.

As of Sunday, the AKP had secured more than 330 votes required for the reform package to progress to the next round.

Turkey's main opposition parties -- the Republican People's party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) -- are against the bill, and the atmosphere in parliament is tense.

After the brawl, the measure was passed, leading the way for further reforms later in the week.

If the bill is passed with the current amount of support it has in Parliament, it will be put to a referendum, likely in April. If the outcome of the referendum is also a yes, it could potentially catapult Turkey into snap elections.

The role of president is largely ceremonial under the current constitution. In order to become president in the new system, Erdogan would have to be reelected after the constitutional changes kick in.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says elections will be held in 2019 as scheduled.

Opponents fear the reforms will give too much power to Erdogan.

How did Turkey get to this point? Here's a look back at some of the key moments that defined Erdogan's political rise and that helped to lay the groundwork for this historic vote.

CNN's Gul Tuysuz contributed to this report.

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What happens if Turkey passes Erdogan's 'power bill'? - CNN

Turkeys PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan was planning to purge the countrys armed forces of suspected dissenters to his government before the failed military-led coup in July 2016, new European intel says.

A secret report written by Intcen - the EUs intelligence agency - found that the hastily organised attempt to overthrow Mr Erdogan last year was motivated by the fact that military generals feared they were going to be subject to an imminent crackdown on the opposition.

The decision to launch the coup resulted from the fears of an incoming purge, the August 2016 report, seen by The Times, read. The coup was just a catalyst for the crackdown prepared in advance.

Before the coup, several factions within Turkeys army were unhappy with the governments attempts between 2013 - 2015 to make peace with the PKK, the militant Kurdish separatist movement, and Mr Erdogans interventionist stance on the conflict in neighbouring Syria.

Rumours of an expected purge joined army followers of the exiled cleric Fetullah Gulen, secularists, and those opposed to Mr Erdogans policies against the Kurds together, providing the momentum for the dramatic failed July 15 takeover.

European intelligence officials also found that the Turkish governments claim that Fethullah Gulen - whom the country is trying to extradite from the US - was behind the plot were unsubstantiated.

Man shouts 'We die in Aleppo, you die here' after shooting dead Russian ambassador to Turkey

It is unlikely Gulen really had the abilities and capacities to take such steps... The Glen movement is very disconnected and somewhat distant from the secular opposition and Turkish army, the report said.

Mr Erdogan has cracked down on Mr Gulens followers since he became president in 2014, as well as civil rights activists, academics and journalists.

Following the July coup attempt, the government declared a state of emergency, during which thousands more deemed hostile to Mr Erdogans ruling AK party have been jailed or fired from state sector jobs.

Turkey is set to hold a spring referendum on legislative reform which would give Mr Erdogan control of the executive branch of government and possibly remain in office until 2029.

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'Planned opposition purge' by Erdogan was catalyst for Turkey's military coup, spies say - The Independent (registration)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is closer to getting a power boost after parliament's first approval of a bill to change the constitution, but the flagging economy could present an unexpected roadblock.

The Turkish parliament approved late Sunday, on first reading, a bill to create an executive presidency like in France or the United States, but which critics fear will lead to one-man rule.

However, after a bloody 2016 during which hundreds of people were killed in multiple terror attacks and a failed coup last summer, the Turkish economy is losing momentum.

Unemployment is increasing, inflation is rising, economic growth is slowing down and the Turkish lira is reaching record lows against the US dollar.

Investor confidence has fallen while tourism has dramatically dropped with holidaymakers avoiding the country last year because of the violence and political instability.

This is in stark contrast to the booming Turkish economy under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), co-founded by Erdogan, since 2002.

One of the main reasons for Erdogan and the AKP's continued electoral success was this boom that followed the 2001 financial crisis. It even made itself known with a new lira that no longer had six extra zeros introduced in 2005.

From fast trains connecting big cities to new bridges, large hospitals to the development of long-neglected central Turkish cities, the AKP ploughed money into areas that had not seen such rapid development.

The constitution plan has now gone to a second reading in the parliament on Wednesday where the 18 articles will again be debated one by one.

If approved again with 330 votes from the 550-seat parliament, it will go to a referendum, expected this spring, for the people to decide.

- 'A vote on Erdogan's leadership' -

Questions were raised this week over whether the worsening economy would affect Erdogan's chances of winning the public vote for constitutional changes.

Jean Marcou, professor at Sciences Po Grenoble and associate researcher at the French Institute of Anatolian Studies, said the current state of the economy could affect the AKP's voters.

But he noted that the government played the "security card" to create fear among the Turkish public, suggesting safety and peace could play a bigger role in people's decision.

Marcou said Erdogan presented himself as the leader to tackle the security troubles in the southeast where the state is fighting against Kurdish rebels, to rid the Islamic State group and battle against his former ally-turned-foe Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen whose movement is blamed for the July 15 attempted putsch.

Erdogan has also repeatedly urged Turks to change their foreign currency into lira to stimulate the currency which was at 3.78 against the greenback on Wednesday afternoon. Less than a month ago, it was 3.52 against the dollar.

The president attributed the dizzying fall of the lira to interference in the markets with elements he called "terrorists" aimed at "putting Turkey on its knees".

For Murat Yetkin, editor-in-chief of Hurriyet Daily News, it would be unlikely that the "economic difficulties of today will dramatically affect the result of the referendum" because the vote is about Erdogan.

"If the country goes to a referendum, it will not be about the government or its economic programme. Many people will not even consider it as a radical shift in Turkey's administrative system, but 'Yes' or 'No' to Erdogan's leadership."

- 'Relative prosperity' -

According to Ilter Turan, emeritus professor of political science at Istanbul's Bilgi University, when the people decide on the changes, their motivations will be varied.

"Concerning the change of constitution, liking or not the government is not the only factor. In these times, the problems that Turkey has can end up in the rejection of the people," Turan told AFP.

The proposed changes, which would create an executive presidency for the first time in modern Turkey, are controversial and far-reaching.

The president would have the power to appoint and fire ministers, while the post of prime minister will be abolished for the first time in Turkey's history.

Instead, there would be a vice president, or possibly several.

According to Jean-Francois Perouse, director of the French Institute of Anatolian Studies in Istanbul, there still remained the belief that if the electorate does not support Erdogan, this would "jeopardise relative prosperity".

"It remains to be seen whether explanations provided by Erdogan (on the economy) will convince people, and given the public's state of mind, they can convince," Perouse said.

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Erdogan faces weak economy in path to greater power - Yahoo Singapore News