'Final decision should be made by the people': Turkish president Recep Erdogan urges referendum on new system

President Recep Erdogan on Thursday called for the Turkish people to vote in a referendum to strengthen his power in a presidential system, saying it was out of the question to take a step backward on the issue.

Erdogan, the strongman of Turkish politics for more than a decade, has long been seeking a new constitution to transform his post into a powerful US-style executive “super-presidency”, which he says will provide more effective governance.

But it was the first time he made it clear he wanted to call a referendum in any eventuality.

“If the presidential system will be a good choice for Turkey’s future, then it should be adopted without any dispute,” he told civil society groups in Ankara.

“It’s out of question for Turkey to take a step back in this issue: People will not allow this to happen,” he said.

READ MORE: Turkey’s leader Erdogan cites Hitler’s Germany to defend his plans to create a ‘super-presidency’

“The parliament should make a decision but afterwards people should be consulted. The final decision should be made by the people, not by lawmakers.”