The need for a new constitution is back on the agenda of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the most prominent proponent of the issue. As he addressed an event in the capital Ankara on Friday, the Turkish leader lauded the new circumstances in the aftermath of the March 31 local elections as something that may pave the way for a broader consensus on the Constitution.
In a landmark meeting earlier this month, Erdoğan received Özgür Özel, chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) which secured unprecedented gains in mayoral elections in March. Erdoğan, who earlier termed the meeting as a period of “softening” relations between parties, reiterated this remark on Friday.
“The new constitution will expand the influence of civilian politics and accelerate the solution of our country’s issues in every field, from the economy to social life. With softening in politics, and intensifying talks between political parties for discussions, we have an important opportunity. We hope this opportunity will be upgraded to a permanent gain for our country, nation and democracy. We will continue pursuing a constructive role on this matter, in line with our nation’s expectations,” Erdoğan said.
Following the elections, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has also launched a round of one-on-one talks with leaders of political parties, seeking an agreement on the methods to draft a new constitution. Kurtulmuş met Özel first, before visiting other parties earlier this month.
The debate over the Constitution has been lengthy, and for more than a decade, Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), championed the struggle to gain the support of other political parties to draft a new constitution.
The opposition has been reluctant and, at times, outright hostile to the attempts to create a new constitution. Their reasons were mostly political and they opposed a constitution to be “imposed” upon them by the government, despite Erdoğan’s repeated remarks that they want to consult with other parties before starting the work.
The current Constitution was enforced in 1982 following a military coup that led to the detention of hundreds of thousands of people along with mass trials, torture and executions, which still represents a dark period in Turkish political history.
The document has undergone nearly 20 amendments over the years to keep up with global and regional geopolitical conjectures. The most notable changes were introduced via referendums in 2010 by enabling the trialing of the 1980 coup plotters in civil courts and in 2017 by replacing the parliamentary system with an executive presidency.
In 2007, Erdoğan’s AK Party attempted an overhaul when it employed a commission to produce a draft, which was shelved upon heated criticism from the opposition.
Since then, the party has been working on “stronger” material. Its proposed changes focus on freedom, the right to security, the right to a fair trial, freedom of speech, and the rights of women and the disabled. The enhancement of these rights and liberties has seen setbacks in the bureaucracy that have prevented them from being appropriately implemented.
At least 400 lawmakers must ratify a new constitution draft in Parliament. Anything over 360 votes would allow a referendum, allowing the people to decide.
The AK Party retained 268 seats in the May 14 parliamentary polls, far higher than its closest rival CHP, which won 169 seats. The AK Party, however, is part of the People’s Alliance, which also includes its closest ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and together, they have 323 seats.
A poll by survey company Areda published on Friday shows more than 52% of the Turkish public supports a new constitution. The same survey, conducted among 3,101 people across the country, shows the public also overwhelmingly approved Erdoğan’s meeting with Özel, a rarity for years among ruling and opposition parties. More than half of the interviewees also supported the idea of all political parties’ consensus on drafting a new constitution.
After Kurtulmuş’s talks with political leaders, the next stage of discussions will involve civic society, including nonprofit organizations, academia and legal experts.
Özgür Özel has said after his meeting with Kurtulmuş that politicians cannot ignore the agenda of the people, adding that they should be aware of where a new constitution stands in the list of people’s expectations. Özel highlighted the importance of dialogue between parties. “If politicians (from different parties) do not shake hands, adversaries of democracy will cheer. We value this platform of dialogue we have here,” he said.
Addressing a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the foundation of the Council of State on Friday, Erdoğan said their governments paid the price in the past 21 years for serving the people, referring to coup attempts, but added that they undertook the greatest leaps in democracy, development and legislation in the same period as well.
“Still, we don’t have a Constitution drafted by civilians,” he lamented. “We marked the centenary of our Republic (in 2023) but it was with a Constitution inherited from a junta. It doesn’t suit Turkish democracy. Addressing this shortcoming through the national will, will empower our democracy and will be a milestone in Turkish politics. We don’t think it is right to scrap the debate on the need for a civilian constitution by highlighting economic and social issues instead,” he said. He was referring to the opposition’s criticism of the government over what they call prioritizing a new constitution instead of tackling the economic challenges the country faced.
“We are aware that the new constitution is not a magic wand that will resolve all problems,” he added.
