Turkey says Venice Commission’s report on charter changes ‘not acceptable’

ANKARA

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A report prepared by the Venice Commission that is set to be released next week examining Turkey’s constitutional amendments will not be acceptable, a senior Turkish government official has said, criticizing the Council of Europe’s advisory board of drafting it with political agenda. 

“We will reject [the report] of the institution, which is tasked to write a report on legal points of view, if it delivers a political view. It should not be politicized,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said March 9. 

He also slammed the commission for leaking some parts of the report to the media. “This report is not acceptable to us after all these,” he said.  

German media cited that the draft report was harshly criticizing the constitutional amendments and urging it would bring a one-man rule in Turkey, as the Venice Commission is expected to publicize its work next week. 

“What one-man rule? Isn’t there one-man rule in the United States or other countries?” he said, stressing that the new proposed system was introducing effective checks and balances as well as the separation of powers. 

Çavuşoğlu also responded to the Venice Commission’s criticism that the referendum should not be held under the state of emergency, saying “France has a state of emergency, too. France can elect the president under state of emergency but when it comes to Turkey, it’s a crisis. This is double standards and hypocrisy.”