Erdoğan aims to address 'judicial disputes' with new charter

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced plans to address what he described as a "problem" within the country's judiciary, proposing either a new constitution or legal amendments to resolve ongoing disputes between key judicial institutions.

His remarks came after a disagreement between the Constitutional Court and the Court of Appeals, which became apparent particularly in light of their conflicting decisions regarding the continued imprisonment of a Workers' Party of Türkiye (TİP) deputy prior to his parliamentary seat being revoked.

"We are obliged to resolve the dispute between our higher judicial institutions, each of which has a different mandate according to our constitution," Erdoğan stated at an event in the capital Ankara attended by judges and prosecutors, positioning himself as an impartial mediator in the matter.

The president also referenced a recent decision by the Council of State to reinstate 450 members of the judiciary who had been dismissed for alleged links to the FETÖ. Erdoğan suggested that this decision underscored the need for a "clearer delineation of responsibilities and boundaries" among judicial bodies.

"Our duty is not to take sides in the disputes between high judicial institutions but to operate mechanisms to solve the problem. There is an ambiguity about the job descriptions and boundaries of our higher judicial institutions set out in the constitution and the missions assigned to them," he remarked.

Erdoğan revealed that the government had initiated steps towards addressing these issues with a comprehensive omnibus bill, comprising over 60 amendments, currently under discussion in the parliament's justice commission.

"This judicial package, which I believe will be realized with the appreciation of our parliament, will be followed by new ones in the coming period," he said.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç has previously disclosed that a top council had launched a review process for reinstated judicial members following the Council of State's decision. The minister also provided statistics indicating that over 4,000 judges and prosecutors had been expelled from their professions since 2016 in connection with the FETÖ coup attempt.

Erdoğan last week criticized the Council of State's decision to reinstate some judiciary members, asserting that "silence on the matter was untenable."