AKP to submit charter changes on headscarf, family soon

ANKARA

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is to submit two-article constitutional amendments to the Parliament in the coming days to strengthen the structure of the family and pledge constitutional guarantees for the women wearing headscarves in public and private spaces.

“Thanks to the constitutional changes we will submit to the Parliament in the coming days, we will on the one hand pledge constitutional guarantees for the use of headscarf and on the other hand we will protect the family as an institution against the aberrant trends,” President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told at a meeting with the provincial muftis in Ankara late on Oct. 31.

The amendments are expected to be submitted to the Parliament this week. It will concern the articles 24 and 41, on freedom of religion and conscience and protection of the family and the children rights respectively. A change on the article 24 will provide new guarantees to the female public servants and the private sector workers that they can’t be restricted with any sort of dress code. AKP officials say this amendment will guarantee both covered and uncovered female workers.

A change on the article 41 will re-define the composition of the family by stressing that it is composed by the marriage of a man and a woman to avoid future attempts to allow same sex marriage in Türkiye.

Stressing that many developed western countries are suffering from aberrant trends, increased consumption of drugs and alcohol, Erdoğan said “If we don’t take measures from now, it is highly possible that our country will also follow all these malign trends.”

“For us, strong family brings about a strong society. That’s why our priority is to keep our families strong,” he suggested.

The discussion over the headscarf started after the main opposition party Republican People’s Party (CHP) proposed a legal change for securing the freedom of the use of headscarves in the country. The AKP challenged the proposal and insisted that it should be secured under a constitutional guarantee.

The CHP and other opposition parties rejected the AKP’s attempt to change the constitution. The ruling party and its main ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) need the support of at least 24 lawmakers to take the proposals to referendum. Deputy leader and spokesperson of the AKP, Ömer Çelik told the reporters that the AKP will visit some oppositional parties to seek their support for the amendments.

“Of course, if the amendments would be taken to referendum, we are sure that it will be endorsed overwhelmingly by our people. But it can also be approved at the parliament if there will be enough support,” Çelik stated.

In the meantime, Erdoğan met a group of AKP lawmakers at a working breakfast on Nov. 1 where they discussed the policies to be followed in the coming period as Türkiye will go to the polls in June 2023.