Turkish PM to review AKP's constitutional amendment package

The draft, prepared by a Parliamentary Commission charged with revising the constitution, includes a proposal to make political party closures more difficult unless there is involvement in violence and terrorism, Turkish newspapers said.   �

In 2007, the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, narrowly escaped closure in a case for which it was issued a serious warming for being "the focal point of anti-secular activities" in the country.

The pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP, is currently being tried by the Constitutional Court for suspected links to the terror organization PKK, and faces the risk of closure.

The amendment package also grants the right for individuals to apply to the Constitutional Court, according to reports.

The current system only allows political parties and legal entities to apply to the court. A government proposal to amend the constitution also includes granting this right to citizens, a move that would also help reduce the number of cases brought to the European Court of Human Rights, or ECHR.

The other significant changes involved in the package are the establishment of ombudsmanship and the "Turkey deputyship" which could allow political parties to be represented in parliament even if they fail to pass threshold in elections, reports added.

The “Turkey deputyship” would allow parties who fail to pass 10 percent of election threshold to be represented in Parliament by one deputy for each percent of vote they gain.