ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Turkey’s parliament speaker and head of the commission tasked with drafting a legal framework for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) peace process, on Friday said “drafting a new constitution” is among the most important duties of the current legislative term. 

“Drafting a new constitution during the 28th term and ridding Turkey of certain anti-democratic regulations, especially the Political Parties Law, are among the most important duties of this parliament,” state-owned Anadolu Agency cited Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus as saying during a session on Friday.

He said the commission expects to complete its work with “favorable results” soon, after which the responsibility will shift to the parliament.

On Thursday, Kurtulmus announced that the peace process commission will submit a proposal to parliament outlining the next steps in the process, signaling Turkey’s willingness to take concrete steps in the talks with the PKK.

The PKK has repeatedly urged Turkey to take tangible steps to proceed with the peace process.

The Imrali delegation of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Thursday met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, statung that the two sides reached a “mutual understanding” on taking the next steps in the peace process to advance talks more quickly.

The delegation, which is mediating the peace process between Ankara and the PKK, has frequently visited detained leader Abdullah Ocalan on Imrali Island over the past year, and previously met with Erdogan in April and July.

The PKK on Sunday announced it would withdraw all its fighters from Turkey to its bases in the Kurdistan Region. DEM Party said a day later the move marked the completion of the first phase of the peace process with Ankara.

Observers say Erdogan’s renewed push for a new constitution in recent months could be driven by his personal interests, and suggest that his efforts to potentially restart the peace process with the PKK are aimed at winning Kurdish parliamentary support to draft a new constitution that would ultimately extend his time in power.

However, the Turkish leader has repeatedly denied that personal motives are behind his push for a new constitution.

Under the current constitution, Erdogan, who has been in power for 22 years, serving as prime minister from 2003 before assuming the presidency in 2014, cannot seek another presidential term. The charter limits presidents to two terms under Article 101.

To initiate a national referendum on a new charter, Erdogan must secure the backing of at least 360 lawmakers from the 600-seat parliament. If he were to obtain 400 votes, he could bypass the referendum process entirely and amend the constitution directly through parliament.

However, his ruling coalition currently commands only 321 seats, well short of the required threshold.