AKP offers change in ‘irrevocable’ articles of current Constitution

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek will chair the next charter panel meeting. DAILY NEWS photo

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) has formed its draft proposal for the new charter, which suggests significant changes in the irrevocable sections of the current Constitution. The final version of the draft will be shaped by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and submitted to the Constitution Conciliation Commission on April 5.

The AKP’s proposal offers some alternatives to some sections. While the first option is completely excluding the “Preamble” part, the second alternative suggests abridging it by omitting some ideological phrases. In the Preamble section, the AKP omitted phrases such as “the nationalism of Atatürk,” and “the Turkish state.” The expression “the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Atatürk, the immortal leader and the unrivalled hero,” was also excluded in the AKP’s proposal.

In its proposal the ruling party also excluded Article No. 4 of the current Constitution, which states that the first three articles “shall not be amended, nor shall their amendment be proposed.” In the current Constitution, this article is under the title of “irrevocable provisions.” By abolishing this article, the AKP is trying to pave the way for amending the first three articles.

The proposal, on the other hand, does not offer any change to Article No. 1, which states, “The Turkish State is a republic.” However, the party has made significant changes in Article No. 2, which regulates the characteristics of the republic. In its proposal the AKP excluded the phrase “loyal to the nationalism of Atatürk.” The AKP’s proposal for this article reads, “The Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law and based on human rights.”

The AKP also changed the third article of the current Constitution, which regulates the integrity of the state, official language, flag, national anthem and capital. The AKP’s proposed version for this article read, “The Republic of Turkey, with its territory and nation, is an indivisible entity.”