Turkey’s Erdogan appoints legal team to draft new constitution

President Recep Erdogan of Turkey (Leon Neal/Pool via AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he has appointed a team of legal experts to start working on a new constitution, which critics say could allow him to remain in power beyond his current term.

Mr Erdogan, who has led Turkey as president since 2014 and was prime minister for more than a decade before that, has advocated for a new constitution arguing that the current one, which was drafted following a military coup in 1980, is outdated and retains elements of military influence even though it was amended several times.