State of emergency commission members have been confirmed: Turkish PM Yıldırım

ANKARA

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Members of the commission that will receive objections to state of emergency rulings, mostly related to the dismissal of public officials, have been determined, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has stated, adding that the commission will soon commence its work.

“The members of the commission to investigate the state of emergency operations, which was founded by the decree numbered 685, have been determined and the commission will commence its duty,” Yıldırım said in a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group meeting on May 16.

“Objections will no longer be appealed to only one institution, but to this center which will act as a court and will be settled here,” he added.

The government had ruled the establishment of a State of Emergency Procedures Investigation Commission with a decree law issued on Jan. 23, in order to receive applications regarding state of emergency rulings. The applications are expected to especially focus on removals or dismissals from public service and educational institutions, as well as the closure of organizations.

The formation of the commission was seen as a bid to ease criticism from European institutions, as decrees issued under state of emergency rules are closed to appeal and thus closed to any domestic remedies.

The Council of Europe was concerned about the risk of increasing the number of appeals at the European Court of Human Rights, raising concern about disproportionate measures taken under decree laws. 

The commission’s term was issued as two years and its formation was stipulated to take no longer than 30 days after the publication date of the decree, but the government has been criticized for not commencing the process.

Yıldırım said the government was working to “cleanse public institutions from the terrorist threat” and made corrections if necessary.

“The number of [people] whose objections have been assessed and who have been returned to their posts are above 20,000,” he said.

“With this new regulation, those whose appeal was considered justified will receive their rights back. Those whose appeal was not considered justified will also have the right to appeal to domestic legal institutions,” he added. 

Three of the members of the seven-member commission should be appointed by the prime minister, one by the Justice Ministry, one by the Interior Ministry and two by the Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK). 

The configuration of the HSK, meanwhile, recently changed in line with the constitutional amendment approved in the April 16 referendum. Parliament is set to assign seven of the HSK’s 13 members on May 16.
 

‘Turkey will see the real partisan presidency’

With the AKP scheduled to hold its third extraordinary congress on May 21, Yıldırım addressed his parliamentary group as party leader for likely the last time.

“We will announce President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the only candidate for the party leadership [at the congress],” Yıldırım said, heralding a “process to leap forward.”

“We will enhance our democratic standards, strengthen our economy, achieve social peace and fraternity, and take necessary measures to prosperity and fair share,” he said.

“Our congress will be the precursor of a determined march for a stronger Turkey. In this period, Turkey will meet a partisan president in its true meaning,” he added.
“This will reflect on 80 million people in new hopes and new targets. The architect of this will be Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,” Yıldırım said.