Judges board accedes to presidential system

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

The Supreme Board of Judges and Public Prosecutors (HSYK) has given the green light to prospects of a presidential system, a proposal by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that recently moved to agenda of the country.

“Forming a council structure in which the members…will be elected by either Parliament or the President, will make a contribution to the country’s democracy via strengthening the principle of separation of powers,” HSYK Deputy Chair Ahmet Hamsici said, while explaining HSYK’s opinions concerning the judicial section of the draft Constitution.

The HSYK’s opinions have been conveyed to Parliament’s Constitution Conciliation Commission, which began discussions on the judicial section earlier this week.

The Supreme Court of Appeals, which also sent its opinions on the same issue to the commission, didn’t make any reference to the presidential system. The election of HSYK members by the president was part of the ruling AKP’s presidential system proposal, which was introduced to the commission in November.

According to the AKP’s proposal, the president will elect seven members of the 22-seat Judges and Prosecutors Board; eight members of the 17-seat Constitutional Court; and one-fourth of the members of the “Court of Appeals or Court of Cassation,” a yet-to-be-established body that would replace the Council of State and the Supreme Court of Appeals.