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Turkish government agrees with opposition to draft new Constitution

On 29 September Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan marked 2012 as a target date to draft the new Turkish constitution following talks with the opposition that his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) launched this week within the aim to ease political tensions.

The delegations from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the second largest opposition group the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) met with AKP officials one after another and agreed on the formation of a conciliation commission in Parliament that will work on the Constitution draft. Although PM Erdoğan emphasized the plan of ‘speedy’ proceedings of the constitution making, aiming the work to be finished within the first half of 2012, the CHP raised objections over such a timetable and reiterated its call for the release of its jailed deputies.

Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the conciliation commission that will work on the constitution will include equal number of representatives from each party represented in the legislature. Both AKP and MHP officials pointed out they would like to see the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) joining the process. Previously, the BDP refused to take the oath in Parliament and join the parliamentary proceedings in protest of the imprisonment of six of its deputies. On Wednesday (28th of September) the party said it will end its boycott and come back to the government on October the 1st, the day when the parliament opens its session.

The last year referendum endorsed modifications to Turkey's current 1982 constitution, which would make the country’s military more accountable to civilian courts, would provide the parliament with more power to appoint judges, and which would also make amendments in order to help Turkey meet requirements for its EU membership. After winning the June 12 parliamentary elections the AKP party has set an objective to make a new constitution and lead the constitution-making process based on a broad consensus in the Parliament.


Sources: BBCNews, HurriyetDailyNews, TodaysZaman. Image: Flickr.