He made his remarks in Manisa on Monday before a crowd whose support he was seeking in preventing a referendum on the changes from passing. The referendum is slated for Sunday.
Criticizing the European Union during his speech, Kılıçdaroğlu said the prime minister is trying to seize the judiciary and that the EU is supporting him. Quoting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the main opposition party leader said Erdoğan lamented being able to appoint the president, the parliamentary speaker, governors and chiefs of police but not a single judge. “‘Give me the authority,' Erdoğan says,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, “so that I can also appoint judges.”
Asking the crowd whether it would allow the government to appoint judges, Kılıçdaroğlu said the people do not allow this. “The honest people of this country do not allow this. Those in favor of democracy do not allow this, but the deaf officials of the European Union say, ‘What a good thing it is you're doing!” “We condemn this,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.
EP Turkey rapporteur Ria Oomen-Ruijten said two weeks ago the approval of the constitutional reform package to be voted on in the referendum will be a significant step forward for Turkey's further democratization and modernization and expressed sadness over reports that some political parties in Turkey had been calling on their supporters to boycott the referendum.
Kılıçdaroğlu's highly critical remarks of the EU over its support for the constitutional changes drew a strong reaction from the crowd.
In a recent TV appearance, Kılıçdaroğlu suggested that European parliamentarians, including Oomen-Ruijten, were given expensive gifts during a visit to Turkey and provided with a limousine during their stay. “What gifts were given to these people? Where were they taken during their stay? Who provided limousine service to these people? These claims should be investigated,” he said.
Turkey's Constitution, dating back to 1982, is a legacy of the coup d'état of Sept. 12, 1980, a military intervention that has had long-lasting implications for Turkey. Prior moves to change provisions protecting the generals behind the coup have ended in misery for those involved. Attempts to pass a new and more democratic constitution have been blocked, and efforts to limit the military's control over politics -- the strongest legacy of the Sept. 12 coup -- have all failed.
