1ST LEAD Presidential power expansion set for debate in Turkish parliament By Can Merey, dpa

Istanbul (dpa) - The Turkish presidency would gain yet more power under a constitutional reform set for debate in the country‘s parliament later Monday.About two weeks of debate, originally scheduled for 2pm (1100 GMT), but delayed, have been set aside for legislative consideration, the Anadolu news agency reported.The proposed change would turn the presidency - the holder of which, on paper, is simply the head of state - into the office that runs the government.Currently, the presidency is supposed to be divorced from politics and rely upon the legislature and a prime minister to propose, approve and implement legislation. The changes would weaken the legislature.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s Justice and Development Party (AKP) has 316 votes in the 550-seat parliament. It needs 330 to push through the change.The ultra-nationalist MHP, which has 40 seats, has promised to support the proposal. Its leader, Devlet Bahceli, says he supports the change, but there is resistance within the party.The other two opposition parties, the centre-left CHP and the pro-Kurdish HDP, oppose the change, saying they are concerned it would create a dictatorship in Turkey.Those fears were echoed by a group of demonstrators who gathered outside parliament before being pushed back by police forces using water cannon and tear gas, reported the DHA news agency. Among the protesters were members of the CHP. There were reports of light injuries after the police forced them back.One function of the proposed change would be to allow the president to rule by decree. Erdogan has already been able to do that since July, thanks to a state of emergency imposed after an attempted coup that month, which was recently extended through April.Critics also argue that Erdogan already enjoys unparalleled power as president, since he continues to have strong ties with the AKP and strong influence over the prime minister‘s office.Erdogan has promised to bring the proposal to a nationwide referendum in the coming months.