Adjustment laws to be ready until March: AKP deputy leader
GİZEM KARAKIŞ - ANKARA
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is planning to finalize harmonizing the existing legislation with the approved constitutional amendments until March 2018, AKP deputy leader Hayati Yazıcı has said, adding that the ruling party might refer the laws to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) before submitting them to parliament.
“The harmonization laws should be finalized before March. After we complete the works, we will submit it to our chair [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]. It will then be sent to the related boards of the party to become a draft law,” Yazıcı told daily Hürriyet on Nov. 19.
Yazıcı said the ruling party may refer the adjustment laws to the MHP before submitting it to parliament. The AKP and the MHP had formed an alliance before the April 16 referendum on constitutional amendments.
“There might be discussions with the MHP during this process,” he said.
He also said that pre-election alliance with the MHP is not on their agenda, but “it doesn’t mean that there will not be one.”
“If one of our lawmakers brings about a proposal, then it will be discussed in a healthier manner,” he said.
The possibility of a pre-election alliance for the 2019 elections, during which the system change stipulated by the April 16 referendum will fully be in effect, was brought to the agenda after MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli had said on Nov. 14 that his party pledged full support to the AKP in the upcoming elections.
Bahçeli also said his party was ready for any support the AKP needs in parliament, while also urging that the current 10-percent electoral threshold should be lowered.
Responding to Bahçeli’s criticism that the 10-percent electoral threshold did not fully represent the national will, Yazıcı said, “I don’t think the threshold created problems in terms of representation.”
“Who is not represented in parliament right now? Can one say ‘this segment is not represented?’ All of them are,” Yazıcı added.
