Turkish PM says new constitution draft is almost ready

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said Wednesday a draft version of a new Turkish constitution was almost ready to be presented before parliament.

Speaking during a meeting of his Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara, Yıldırım said the draft would be presented to lawmakers "in the forthcoming days".

"We are almost ready in our preparations on a new constitutional draft," said Yıldırım. "We will seek further common ground with opposition parties."

Yıldırım said the nation would have "the final say" on a new constitution.

The ruling AK Party has sought to introduce a presidential system to replace the current parliamentary model since Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became the first head of state elected by popular vote in August 2014.

In order to secure a referendum, it has reached an agreement with the opposition Nationalist Movement Party to give it the necessary 330 votes in parliament.