The chairman of Turkeys Supreme Board of Elections Sadi Guven officially announced on Saturday that the upcoming referendum on major constitutional changes will be held on April 16.

    Sadi Guven's press conference came one day after the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved the constitutional amendment package to shift Turkeys existing parliamentary system to a presidential one.

    Prime Minister Binali Yildirim had announced the date Friday shortly after Erdogan's approval.

    Yildirim said: "President has approved the bill. So the date for a public vote is fixed. The referendum will be held on April 16." The constitutional changes have been discussed since Erdogan was elected president in August 2014. The 18-article bill was passed by parliament in January, with 339 votes in favor -- nine more than needed to put the proposal to a referendum.

Source: QNA