25 January 2017•Update: 25 January 2017
By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON
A Turkish lawmaker has urged her fellow citizens living in the U.K. to take part in the upcoming referendum on changing Turkey’s constitution.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Radiye Sezer Katircioglu -- a Justice and Development (AK) Party lawmaker -- also said she expected voters to back the changes, which will include a change to an executive presidency.
"Our people know that they will have a responsible president, an independent judiciary and a country that will grow fast economically on the day they say ‘yes’ to this constitutional change,” Katircioglu said.
Katircioglu -- who is on a three-day official visit to the U.K. -- said a good presidential system will help Turkey’s performance increase, facilitate fast decision-making to eliminate domestic and foreign threats and help support a transparent judicial system.
She said: “This [presidential system] will provide very significant value for our country to excel, progress and be a powerful country...I would like Turkish citizens in the U.K. to cast their vote to say ‘yes’ in the referendum.
“This is a citizenship duty. This is a matter of the country’s independence and future.”
During her visit, Katircioglu met parliamentarians, NGOs and Turkish citizens in London. Katircioglu also thanked the U.K. for its quick response in condemning the 15 July 2016 coup attempt, while criticizing some European countries which failed to do the same.
“It was important to have Britain as one of the first to condemn the attempted coup but the European Union was slow in this respect.
“Coup plotters and terrorists attacked our people…we expected the same reflex from Europe. Britain showed this reflex by condemning. I think they see how important Turkey as a country,” she said.
