Police Academy scholar to top court

ANKARA

President Abdullah Gül appointed Police Academy scholar Zühtü Arslan to the Constitutional Court yesterday, selecting him from among three candidates nominated by the Higher Education Board (YÖK).

The 48-year-old academic is known for his vocal criticism of the Constitutional Court, over its controversial 2007 ruling requiring Parliament to convene with a super-majority of 367 members in order to hold a vote for a new president, a move that blocked Gül’s initial bid for election.

Arslan was also on the team of scholars the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had commissioned to work on a draft for a new constitution in 2007. He has published academic studies on constitutional law and worked on projects for the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV).

With the latest amendments to Constitutiton approved in the Sept. 12, 2011, referendum Turkey’s top court has 17 members. Three of them are elected in Parliament while 14 are appointed by the president.