Scholar makes bold suggestions for charter

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Prof İbrahim Kaboğlu, the head of the Constitutional Law Research Association, suggests that Turkey should open the door to dual-language education. Hürriyet photo

A prominent constitutional law professor has made far-reaching proposals to separate the executive and legislative branches, while suggesting dual-language education in schools, in a presentation to Parliament’s constitution-making panel.

In a 73-page report submitted to the panel, Prof. İbrahim Kaboğlu, the head of the Constitutional Law Research Association, suggested that Prime Ministers should automatically lose their party leadership and Cabinet members should relinquish their parliamentary seats, to ensure that Parliament is not controlled by the government and to minimize political rivalry.

He called also for the creation of a Senate as part of a two-chamber Parliament, which would re-evaluate legislation from the lower chamber and lessen the burden of the Constitutional Court. Kaboğlu also objected to a popular vote to elect the President, whose duties, he said, should be limited.

The scholar suggested that Turkey should recognize regional languages as “cultural wealth” and open the door to dual-language education in schools, which would embrace both the official Turkish language and the students’ mother tongue. The constitution should ensure that such an education system does not undermine the learning of the official language, he said.