Top official calls for changes to charter
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 16, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Constitutional amendments stand as the major barrier before the realization of reforms in Turkey and Turkey’s EU bid, said government spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek, also calling on all political parties to back the planned amendments.
"The Constitution, which needs an urgent revision, is not in line with the European Union Acquis Communautaire and has many articles that are not compatible with today’s circumstances. The Constitution, however, is still untouched," Çiçek said, responding to the questions of the state-run Anatolia news agency on the government’s constitutional works.
Noting that Turkey had to adapt its laws to the EU Acquis Communautaire as part of its EU bid, he said Turkey faced a dilemma on the issue. Both the government and Parliament had to make laws in line with the Constitution otherwise they could be cancelled by the Constitutional Court.
"But, if the laws are not in line with the EU laws, in other words if they are wrong, then Turkey is obliged to adjust the appropriate laws to a wrong Constitution," Çiçek said. "So, sometimes, the constitutional changes stand as the major obstacle before the realization of other reforms in the country." Çiçek said there have been some changes made to the current Constitution in various periods and the priorities both in the world and Turkey have changed since the 1982 Constitution.
’We are ready to compromise’
"So Turkey has been run for 26 years with a controversial Constitution," Çiçek said. "The world has moved from a security-oriented line to freedom-oriented line. What is the priority [of our Constitution?] Freedom or security? Its priority is security," Çiçek said. There was demand from society for constitutional amendments but Turkey has undergone a period in which the necessary steps could not be taken, according to Çiçek. The ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, initiated the preparatory works on the amendments before the July 22, 2007 general elections.
"But, when we take a step in this respect, those who are not in favor of the constitutional amendments argue that this is the Constitution of the AKP, claiming that the AKP trusted in its majority in the Parliament," Çiçek said. "The planned Constitution is not the AKP’s constitution but the Constitution of the Turkish Republic, so everyone should contribute to the process. Everybody says it should be changed but nobody moves forward,"
He said all articles of the Constitution excluding the first five articles could be changed in compromise with the other political parties in the Parliament, including most notably, the Republican People’s Party, CHP, and the nongovernmental organizations. "We can achieve this through dialogue and compromise. We can change the Constitution under the roof of Parliament, the only platform for the amendments to be realized," Çiçek said, adding that all parties should come up with proposals and send a representative to the parliamentary commission in a move to help the constitutional amendments be made.
Noting that Turkey had to adapt its laws to the EU Acquis Communautaire as part of its EU bid, he said Turkey faced a dilemma on the issue. Both the government and Parliament had to make laws in line with the Constitution otherwise they could be cancelled by the Constitutional Court.
"But, if the laws are not in line with the EU laws, in other words if they are wrong, then Turkey is obliged to adjust the appropriate laws to a wrong Constitution," Çiçek said. "So, sometimes, the constitutional changes stand as the major obstacle before the realization of other reforms in the country." Çiçek said there have been some changes made to the current Constitution in various periods and the priorities both in the world and Turkey have changed since the 1982 Constitution.
’We are ready to compromise’
"So Turkey has been run for 26 years with a controversial Constitution," Çiçek said. "The world has moved from a security-oriented line to freedom-oriented line. What is the priority [of our Constitution?] Freedom or security? Its priority is security," Çiçek said. There was demand from society for constitutional amendments but Turkey has undergone a period in which the necessary steps could not be taken, according to Çiçek. The ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, initiated the preparatory works on the amendments before the July 22, 2007 general elections.
"But, when we take a step in this respect, those who are not in favor of the constitutional amendments argue that this is the Constitution of the AKP, claiming that the AKP trusted in its majority in the Parliament," Çiçek said. "The planned Constitution is not the AKP’s constitution but the Constitution of the Turkish Republic, so everyone should contribute to the process. Everybody says it should be changed but nobody moves forward,"
He said all articles of the Constitution excluding the first five articles could be changed in compromise with the other political parties in the Parliament, including most notably, the Republican People’s Party, CHP, and the nongovernmental organizations. "We can achieve this through dialogue and compromise. We can change the Constitution under the roof of Parliament, the only platform for the amendments to be realized," Çiçek said, adding that all parties should come up with proposals and send a representative to the parliamentary commission in a move to help the constitutional amendments be made.