Proposed constitutional reforms in Turkey non-democratic: Council of Europe
The Council of Europe has censured a hotly-pursued drive by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to change the country’s parliamentary ruling system to a presidential one.
In a non-binding statement on Friday, a legal panel of the Council said the controversial political change in Turkey would be a “dangerous step backwards” for democracy.
Erdogan submitted the proposed constitutional reforms to the Turkish parliament in January. The legislature approved the draft, and a referendum has been scheduled for April 16 for the public to weigh in on the reforms.
Read more:
- Turkey MPs to begin debating presidential system
- 'Turkey must protect separation of powers'
- Turkey presidential system 'despotic'
The European panel said the amendments would give the president “the power to dissolve parliament on any grounds whatsoever, which is fundamentally alien to democratic presidential systems.”
The president would be able to serve for a maximum of two five-year-long mandates. That means that Erdogan could end up staying in office for two more terms until 2029, with the next elections scheduled for 2019.
The new constitution would also reportedly pave the way for the abolition of the post of prime minister, in which Erdogan served from 2003 until 2014, and enable the appointment of vice presidents. It would also empower the president to hire and fire ministers.
The panel said such a presidential system would be weakening the “already inadequate system of judicial oversight of the executive.”
The Council is to release its comprehensive legal opinion on the matter on Monday.
Turkey will bury Syria’s Kurdish militia if they fail to disarm: Erdogan
Turkey's foreign minister meets Syria's de facto leader in Damascus
Iran’s Pezeshkian, Egypt’s Sisi hope for restoration of bilateral ties
IRGC intelligence forces capture agent linked to foreign espionage service
VIDEO | Palestinians in Yarmouk Camp cling to hope and determination
Israel preparing to stay in southern Lebanon after ceasefire: Report
Israeli pressure on Hamas ‘hardly helped’; swap deal necessary: Ex-Mossad chief
Far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir again storms al-Aqsa Mosque
Iran: Israel’s attack on journalists’ vehicle in Gaza amounts to ‘war crime’
VIDEO | Israel’s war spending
Palestine Action wins again
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
