Türkiye deserves brand new civilian charter, says Erdoğan

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reaffirmed his commitment to crafting a civilian and libertarian new constitution on the anniversary of the 1980 coup, asserting that the post-coup constitution still exerts influence on the nation's governance.

"A country such as Türkiye, with 2,000 years of state tradition, the experience of a republic reaching its first century and 73 years of democracy, deserves a much better constitution," Erdoğan asserted during his speech at a symposium held at the Ulucanlar Prison Museum on Sept. 12.

Erdoğan contended that Turkish constitutions since the 1960s have often been shaped by military coups, emphasizing, "Even though it has been amended 23 times since 1987... the text we have is a coup constitution."

Recalling efforts made in the past year through a workshop attended by scholars, Erdoğan expressed disappointment in the opposition's lack of participation in crafting a new constitutional charter.

"Unfortunately, no one other than the [ruling Justice and Development Party] AKP and the [Nationalist Movement Party] MHP came up with a new constitutional charter during this process. When it came to taking concrete steps, the opposition turned their helm in the other direction and disappeared," he lamented.

"The issue of a new constitution has always been a top priority for the government," Erdoğan affirmed. "We will never stop struggling until we bring the new constitution, which is one of the limbs of our 'Century of Türkiye' goal."

Erdoğan also underlined the pressing need for a constitution that aligns past ideals with future knowledge, particularly in a rapidly changing global landscape.

"Undoubtedly, the text of the new constitution will not change the political and economic structure of the country in an instant and turn Türkiye into a fairy tale land," he remarked. "However, it is clear that the rights and freedoms that come directly from the people will add a lot to Türkiye, which embraces all these on a ground of legitimacy."

The president expressed willingness to collaborate with all political parties and groups in the parliament to achieve this goal, urging unity in the endeavor. "Our duty is to knock on doors. We, as the People's Alliance, are ready for this. I appeal to all political parties and non-governmental organizations. Let's talk, let's negotiate, but let's not run away from this process," he concluded.