Testing Turkey’s presidential powers

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development or AK party is seeking a fourth successive term in office.

Sunday’s parliamentary election is also being billed as a “last-ditch” opportunity for opposition groups to mount a now or never challenge.

All the while, the shadow of Turkey’s powerful president is hanging over proceedings.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping the AK Party will win a strong enough majority to change the constitution, allowing him to strengthen his presidential powers.

It is a contentious issue, but there is a lot more at stake.

Polls found that the most significant issue for voters was the economy, closely followed by unemployment.

Then there is the Kurdish question, and their campaign for more rights, and the broader issue of the constitution, with both main parties promising to change a charter drawn up by military leaders in 1982.

So what will influence voters most when the time comes to vote? And can opposition parties do enough to rein in the ruling party?

Presenter: Martine Dennis

Guests

Ali Carkoglu – political scientist and professor of international relations at Koc University.

Ozgur Ozdamar – professor of international relations at Bilkent University and director of Fortuna Consulting.

Yasin Aktay – vice chairman of the AK Party, in charge of foreign affairs.