Top court elects Kadir Özkaya as new head

ANKARA

Kadir Özkaya has been elected as the new head of the Constitutional Court, succeeding Zühtü Arslan, whose term of office expired.

In the general assembly vote, Özkaya garnered nine out of 15 members' support while his opponent, Yusuf Şevki Hakyemez, received just six votes.

Arslan, who began his service as a top court member in April 2012, ascended to the presidency for the first time in February 2015. He continued his tenure after securing an absolute majority in the elections held in January 2019, and subsequently won re-election for a third term in February 2023.

However, after the conclusion of the 12-year term limit, Arslan did not stand for re-election but retained the right to cast his vote.

Özkaya, born in 1963 in Mersin's Tarsus district, is a graduate of Gazi University's faculty of economics and administrative sciences. His career in the judiciary commenced in 1993 when he was appointed as an investigative judge at the Council of State.

He later served as a rapporteur of the Constitutional Court from 2005 onwards. In 2011, he was assigned as a member of the Council of State, and in 2014, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed him as a member of the Constitutional Court.

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

Arslan's term officially expires on April 20, marking the transition to Özkaya's leadership at the helm of the top court.