Top court prepares to elect new head

ANKARA

The term of office of current Constitutional Court head Zühtü Arslan is set to conclude on April 20, triggering the commencement of elections for the post on Feb. 20.

Arslan, initially appointed as a member of the top court by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 17, 2012, following nomination by the General Assembly of Higher Education, officially assumed office on April 20, 2012.

The impending conclusion of Arslan's term aligns with a regulation limiting the tenure of top court members to 12 years. Consequently, the election process will kick off on Feb. 20, precisely two months before Arslan's term concludes, in adherence to the court's bylaws.

The election proceedings will be overseen by Arslan himself, and details regarding the location, date and time will be communicated in writing to the remaining members at least seven days in advance.

Although he is ineligible to stand as a candidate due to the expiration of his term, he will retain the right to vote. Conversely, other members of the Constitutional Court are eligible to run for the position of court's president.

During the election, which will transpire at the court's general assembly, the candidate securing an absolute majority with at least eight out of 15 votes will assume the top role for the ensuing four years.

In the event that no candidate achieves the necessary quorum, the elections will persist until a decisive outcome is reached.

Arslan assumed the presidency for the first time on Feb. 10, 2015.

Following the conclusion of his initial term, he secured reelection after attaining an absolute majority of votes on Jan. 25, 2019. Finally, he clinched the headship of the top court for the third time by receiving the votes of eight out of the 15 members in the general assembly election on Feb. 2 last year.