Gov't vows not to allow deadlocking of work on new Constitution

Speaking at the 67th General Assembly of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Erdoğan said: “We will never allow the process [of drafting a new constitution] to be deadlocked and all the energy spent so far to be wasted. A consensus does not mean everyone imposing their demands on the others. Consensus means everyone taking or being able to take a step toward each other. We will never approve of attempts by anyone or any group to impose what they have in their mind on the nation, or deadlocking of the process.”  

Turkey's expectations for a long-awaited new civilian constitution have become stronger than ever since the June 12, 2011 parliamentary elections. All parties represented in parliament vowed to draft a new constitution to replace the existing one, which was drafted under martial law after the Sept. 12, 1980 military coup and has long been criticized for failing to respond to today's need for expanded rights and freedoms. The ruling party vowed to draft a new constitution after its election victory based on a broad consensus in parliament. A commission was established to carry out the work of drafting the constitution including representatives from all four parties represented in parliament. Earlier this month the drafting process began with the subject of fundamental human rights and freedoms.

Erdoğan has stated his government wants a civilian, pro-freedom and democratic constitution from the very outset, and that these requirements do not very from person to person or from party to party. Further, that he hopes and believes Parliament can prepare such a document.

The prime minister added that his ruling AK Party would never be the party to withdraw from the process of drafting the new constitution.

In his speech Erdoğan also directed veiled criticisms to the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) for encouraging young people in the country's southeast to join the ranks of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

“In Turkey some people who have the titles of a ‘deputy' or ‘party leader' can recklessly encourage youth to go to the mountains [to join the PKK]. Why? Because they are nourished by terrorism,” said Erdoğan.

The BDP is known as the political extension of the PKK and has been heavily criticized by many for failing to distance itself from the terrorist organization, which has been waging a bloody war in Turkey's southeast since 1984.

Kılıçdaroğlu raises the jailed deputies issue

Delivering a speech at the same event, Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu raised the issue of the jailed deputies, stating it is impossible to talk about democracy in a country where people elected to parliament by the nation are kept in jail.

He said although all top state officials, including the parliament speaker and president, agreed it was wrong to keep the deputies imprisoned, the parliament was unable to resolve the issue and secure their release.

Each opposition party has deputies currently in jail, despite their election to parliament in the general elections last year.

Jailed CHP deputies Mustafa Balbay and Mehmet Haberal, as well as Engin Alan of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), face coup charges, while six imprisoned Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputies face charges of membership of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella organization that prosecutors claim includes the PKK.