In the third and final vote in a secret ballot, 376 MPs in the 550-seat parliament backed the bill with enough votes to change the constitution directly, without needing to hold a referendum.

This constitutional change could result to the prosecution of pro-Kurdish opposition, which could see its parliamentary presence wiped out. The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which is the 3rd largest group in the Turkish parliament, says this is essentially a move to expel opposition members from parliament.

The measure, however, is seen as targeting the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) as well.

Turkey has led an offensive against the insurgent PKK, accused of being a terrorist group. President Erdogan claims that HDP stands for the political representation of Kurdish terrorism. He has called for pro-Kurdish MPs to face terrorism charges and this vote could be a first step towards making that happen.

Friday's vote was not without incident as CHP lawmakers walked out in protest.
“My people do not want to see guilty lawmakers in this parliament” Mr. Erdogan said as lawmakers voted. Later he commented the vote was “historic” during a televised speech in his hometown of Rize.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said she would raise concerns over the state of democracy in Turkey when she met Mr. Erdogan next week.