İYİ Party reveals proposal of ‘improved and strengthened parliamentary system’

ANKARA

İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener introduced her party’s proposal for an “improved and strengthened parliamentary system” via a video on May 26.

“We will build an improved and strengthened parliamentary system together with our nation for the peace of our nation and the welfare of our young generation by putting a stop to injustice,” she said. 

“The current system polarizes politics, voters and the nation because political parties do everything to achieve more than 50 percent votes,” she said, speaking at the party’s parliamentary group meeting.

According to the proposed system, Turkey will be governed by the prime minister and the cabinet, while the president will not be affiliated with any political party and the presidential office will represent the state and the nation in an impartial and nonpartisan manner, Akşener said.

President will be elected for six years and only for one term because presidents tend to get involved in daily politics whenever they want to run for the second time, she said.

The parliament will elect the members of the Constitutional Court, High Election Board (YSK), the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), the chamber of accounts by qualified majority, she added.

“In the current system, tutelage has been established in our municipalities. The authority to lend for the infrastructure investments of the municipalities was given to the president,” Akşener said, adding that in the proposed system, the distribution of power between the central government and local governments would be arranged in a way that respects the national will.

Their third principle will be the separation of powers and strong supervision, she said, adding that no institution of the state or politics will be able to establish tutelage over any other institution in their proposed system. The system will not allow intervention to the Central Bank, she said, noting that the parliament would become effective in the control of the state budget.

Members of the Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) will be elected once, and their term of office will be five years.

The HSK president will be elected by the council by secret ballot and by the absolute majority of the total number of members. In the proposed system, the election of members of the Constitutional Court will also be reorganized, and their “impartiality will be ensured,” she said.

In the system, universities will be autonomous both administratively and academically. The appointment of a rector from outside of the institution will end, Akşener said.

The current election system is the biggest democracy obstacle in Turkey, she said, vowing to change the legislation. The İYİ Party proposes to lower the election threshold to five percent, she added.

They will be constantly in contact with the nation, the NGOs, political parties, academics and professional organizations as part of efforts to introduce a new parliamentary system, she noted.