State of emergency decrees are law: Turkey’s top court

Oya Armutçu - ANKARA

Turkey’s Constitutional Court officially recognized the state of emergency decrees in its ruling on June 30 as law, rejecting the request of the main opposition for their annulment.

The Republican’s People Party (CHP) had brought the state of emergency decrees numbered 7076 and 7077 to the Constitutional Court after they were adopted by the parliment as law.

According to the CHP’s application, the two decrees included issues, such as a new legal requirement for drivers to use winter tires, that were allegedly beyond the scope of the emergency law.

The Constitutional Court on June 30 rejected the application, stressing that the emergency decrees cannot be declared null and void by the top tribunal.

The ruling draws the limits of the top court in checking the legality of the executive decrees, whether they are approved by the parliament to become law or not.

According to the ruling, the court can only review whether a decree becomes law according to proper procedures at the parliament, but it cannot declare it null and void by evaluating its content, scope or timing.