'Turkey's new constitution to prioritize rule of law'

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's new constitution will make fundamental rights and liberties, the rule of law, and democracy its priorities, a senior Turkish lawmaker said on Friday.

"We will put forward a draft constitution in which all parts of our society will be represented, and that will prioritize fundamental rights and freedoms, the rule of law and democracy," Ramazan Can, a lawmaker from the central Kirikkale province, told Anadolu Agency.

“We will put forward a draft constitution that all political parties will have to back due to pressure from their party alignments.”

Turkey's current Constitution is a coup-era artifact, drawn up by an advisory council selected by generals who carried out the Sept. 12, 1980 coup, said Can.

"Turkey doesn't deserve a Constitution which was made by a military regime," he said.

For this reason, he said, political parties, NGOs, and all sectors of Turkish society have wanted a new constitution for decades.

-Legacy of bloody 1980 soup

Since 1982, the current Constitution has seen a number of amendments, Can acknowledged.

"There have been a lot of changes. Some changes even went to referendums. Our citizens have also supported these changes over time. But these changes weren’t enough," he said.

The bloody 1980 coup -- which led to the detention of hundreds of thousands of people along with mass trials, torture, and executions -- still stands as a black stain in Turkish political history.

In the coup, torture, mistreatment and poor conditions at prisons left nearly 300 people dead and left survivors facing years of physical and mental anguish.

More than 650,000 people were detained and 230,000 put on trial for mainly political reasons. Fifty people were executed.

The senior lawmaker said that since 2000, Turkey has made progress in its EU membership bid, the Copenhagen political criteria, democracy, and the rule of law.

"We should never underestimate the point we have reached, but we’re [still] governed by a military regime constitution," he said.

"It is a duty for all of us, as the civilian will, as lawmakers elected by the nation, to prepare a constitution that takes in the views of all parties in parliament, and prioritizes fundamental rights and freedoms and democracy," he added.

- All parties to participate

The ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party does not have enough seats in parliament to bring the draft constitution to a referendum single-handedly, said Can.

"This situation creates an obligation for us to prepare the constitution in agreement with all sectors of society,” he explained.

“We can agree on a common consensus draft that doesn’t ignore any part of society and can represent all sectors.”

Speaking of the electoral and voting alliance between the AK Party and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), he added: “We need the support of all parties in parliament besides the Peoples' Alliance to pass the new draft constitution.”

He added: “Even if [some] political parties don’t support this draft due to biases, the bases of these parties will support it when this draft constitution is shared with the public."

The AK Party has 289 seats in the 600-seat parliament, while the MHP has 48, adding up to 337, but this falls short of the 360-vote supermajority needed to pass a new constitution.

Can said the Presidency, Justice Ministry, and the parliament will work on drafting a new constitution draft in the days to come.

"After that, the draft will be evaluated by the Peoples' Alliance. The political parties represented in parliament are already working on their [own] new draft constitutions," he explained.

"Each party has a new constitutional target. In this sense, these drafts can be taken into a common pool, and agreement can be reached on a common draft."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged all political parties to participate in drafting a new constitution.

MHP leader Devlet Bahceli has voiced agreement on the need for a new civilian constitution.

Can also mentioned how in an April 2017 referendum, Turkey opted to shift to a presidential system of government.

"We're preparing a draft constitution in accordance with the presidential system. There will be no return from this system," he said.

"A majority of our people accepted the presidential system. Thus, we will eliminate the problems of the [current] system with the new draft constitution."

In June 2018, Erdogan was re-elected president, Turkey’s first president under the new system.

Turkish officials have touted the benefits of the new system, saying it eliminates inefficiencies and enables the smoother working of the administration.