Top court chair bids farewell as new head takes office

ANKARA

The head of Türkiye's top court has concluded his 12-year tenure, bidding farewell to his duty as he handed over the reins to the newly elected president.

Zühtü Arslan, who embarked on his service as a member of the Constitutional Court in April 2012, assumed the presidency for the first time in February 2015. His tenure was extended after securing an overwhelming majority in the elections held in January 2019, followed by reelection for a third term in February 2023.

However, adhering to the constitutional term limit, the top judge was ineligible to stand as a candidate this time, officially concluding his term on April 20.

"Being a constitutional judge is a duty with a heavy price. The important thing is to be able to do this duty properly and to leave when the time comes," Arslan said in his farewell address at the court's premises on the same day.

The ceremony was attended by the new president, Kadir Özkaya, alongside members and staff of the court. Arslan conveyed his well-wishes for Özkaya's success in his new role.

In a previous general assembly vote, Özkaya secured nine out of 15 members' support, while his opponent, Yusuf Şevki Hakyemez, garnered only six.

Born in 1963 in Mersin's Tarsus district, Özkaya graduated from Gazi University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. His judicial career commenced in 1993 when he was appointed as an investigative judge at the Council of State. Over the years, he served as a rapporteur of the Constitutional Court starting from 2005. In 2011, Özkaya was appointed as a member of the Council of State, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed him as a member of the Constitutional Court in 2014.

His elevation to the presidency follows two consecutive terms as vice president, a position he was elected to in meetings held in March 2020 and earlier this month.

Meanwhile, in a decision published in the country's Official Gazette, Ömer Çınar, a member of the private Ibn Haldun University's Faculty of Law, was elected as a member of the Constitutional Court.

The decision, endorsed by Erdoğan, selected Çınar from among three candidates nominated by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK).