Ruling AKP, BDP disagree on autonomous assemblies

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) often shown solidarity in the making of the new charter, fell apart at a meeting of a sub-commission of the Parliament’s Constitution Conciliation Commission on a proposal to establish “autonomous regional assemblies.”

The BDP, known to have attributed significant importance to the strengthening of local administrations as a means of resolving the Kurdish issue, had proposed the establishment of both central and local administrations in the country with 20 separate autonomous regional assemblies taking office through elections.

According to the BDP’s proposal, while the central administration’s authority would be restricted to “judiciary, national defense, national security, foreign relations, finance, treasury, foreign trade and custom services,” the regional assemblies will be autonomous and given more authorization.

But at Wednesday’s meeting of the commission, the AKP, along with the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), objected to this article of the proposal.