“It is an inevitable necessity to restructure institutions shaped by the parliamentary system and to bring them to a point where they functionally support the Executive Presidential System," Bahceli said.

In the 2017 constitutional referendum, Turkey abandoned its parliamentary system where the president had a mostly symbolic function in favor of a system that granted extensive powers to the president. Erdogan was elected the first executive president in 2018.

Further democratization, development and growth in influence for Turkey depends on the effectiveness of the executive presidential system, the Erdogan ally said. “Today, our country is facing a front of animosity that is constantly consolidated and replenished.”

To fully implement the presidential system, Turkey must “be rid of all its obstacles,” and judicial institutions that were “the products of military coups must be democratized,” he said, suggesting a Supreme Court to replace the AYM.

The AYM has “issued rulings that inflict unbendable harm to national rights and sense of justice under the guise of rights violations,” Bahceli continued.

Bahceli’s comments came after Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu denounced the AYM for “approving the removal of the right to freely walk on main streets,” when it ruled to annul an article in the law on peaceful protests that banned demonstrations and marches on intercity roads.

Among Devlet Bahceli’s other recent calls are the abolition of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), the reinstatement of the death penalty, and the amendment of Turkey’s election laws.

Reporter’s code: 50101