Turkey's President Ahmet Necdet Sezer dealt a fresh blow on Monday to efforts by the Islamist-rooted government to shake up the constitution, vetoing a plan that would cut the time needed to hold referendums.
The veto by staunchly secularist Sezer makes it much less likely the government will be able go ahead with a referendum on sweeping constitutional reforms on July 22, the same day as a general election.
Turkey's secular elite, which also includes top judges and army generals, is determined to block the ruling AK Party's reform plans. Among proposed reforms is for future presidents to be chosen by voters instead of parliament. The government bill envisages cutting the time needed to hold a referendum to 45 days from 120 days.
"The confusion that would be created by holding the general elections and referendum together would make it more difficult to reach a healthy result on the issue," said a statement on Sezer's Web site giving lengthy legal reasons for his veto. Sezer also asked the Constitutional Court on Monday to rule on some technical objections he has to the reforms themselves, the state Anatolian news agency reported.
Parliament, now in recess ahead of the election, could still override the president's veto. But Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has annoyed some in his AK Party by not renominating them as candidates in the election, making it difficult to rally enough votes in parliament to push the law through for a second time. The government put a brave face on Monday's veto, which had been widely predicted and had no impact on financial markets.