Turkish Parliament (Anatolia)

With the intensification of competition between Turkish parties in preparation for the battle of local elections, which the country is just around the corner, the issue of establishing a new constitution for the country, compatible with the phase of the new Turkish Republic, or the century of Turkey as the ruling “Justice and Development” Party likes to call it, has emerged strongly to the fore. , which announced through many of its active leaders that Turkey deserves a new civil constitution, and that they will do their utmost to get rid of the constitution prepared by the military coup in 1980.

Expressing their desire for the country to have a liberal civil constitution that meets the needs of citizens, gives priority to democracy, civil liberties, and rights, protects human dignity, preserves national unity, and precisely defines the general framework of the state’s duties.

Community consensus

Erdogan, for his part, stressed the need for the new constitution to be the result of constructive dialogue and comprehensive political and societal consensus, promising to knock on all doors of political parties to achieve this goal.

However, the loss of trust between the government and the various opposition parties, in addition to the presence of many points of contention between them, may constitute a stumbling block to achieving this political and popular desire, at least in the near future.

This is in light of the positivity of this proposal on the part of the government, and the principled agreement expressed by the Turkish political parties on the necessity of drafting a new constitution for the country, with the aim of getting rid of the spirit of the coup that still dominates many articles of the current constitution despite the numerous amendments that have been made to it, which have reached To twenty amendments, including twelve amendments made during the era of Justice and Development, most of which were aimed at reducing the influence of the military institution in the political system of government.

Talk about preparing a new constitution for the country is not new today, as many different projects were previously proposed during the years 2011 and 2013 until it came to the formation of a consensus committee to draft the constitution in 2016, which included the parties represented in Parliament.

However, the differences between them prevented reaching an agreement or coming up with an integrated project that meets the aspirations of citizens, who feel extremely dissatisfied with the continuation of the 1980 Constitution throughout these decades, and the failure to take positive steps to change it on the part of the political elites who succeeded in ruling the country, and they believe that the time has come. To get rid of the legacy of the period of military coups in which they suffered greatly, and to make room for a new constitution that serves the interests of the country and its people.

Presidential or parliamentary?

The differences between the government and the opposition regarding the articles of the new constitution revolve around several important issues, each of which constitutes a stumbling block in the way of achieving this national mission, as it is dominated by the ideological factor that each of them adopts, and directs its compass to satisfy its electoral base.

The opposition - for example - believes that the presidential system currently in effect has harmed Turkish political life more than it has benefited it, as the position of prime minister has been abolished, all powers have been consolidated in the hands of the president, and the authority of Parliament has been reduced, which has become ineffective, according to its point of view.

Therefore, before the parliamentary and presidential elections, it was keen to make promises about its intention to work to restore the parliamentary system, and to formulate a new constitution for the country in the event that it wins the parliamentary majority. However, President Erdogan considered that the “People’s Alliance” winning a majority of parliamentary seats and his winning the presidency were tantamount to a mass referendum on the system. What the people want is the presidential system, not the parliamentary system, as the opposition wants, despite its acknowledgment of the existence of some loopholes and articles that need to be amended, which was clearly evident during the implementation of the presidential system.

Great concern

The opposition's greatest concern is the fear that the ruling party, by raising the issue of preparing a new constitution for the country at this particular time, aims to make fundamental amendments to the system for electing the president, allowing Erdogan to run again in the next elections in 2028.

This is after he exhausted his full constitutional rights in accordance with the currently applicable constitution, which allowed him to run for the presidency twice in a row, especially since Erdogan stated the possibility of reconsidering the issue of electing the President of the Republic by fifty percent plus one, which increased the opposition’s fears and anxiety, considering This trend is evidence of the president’s desire to run again, or at least to facilitate the task of his party’s candidate in the upcoming elections, and give him the full opportunity to overcome his competitor.

Secular or Islamic identity?

The talk of the leaders of the ruling party - that the country has become in real need of preparing a new constitution that is compatible with the spirit of the times and the developments that the world is going through, and that is compatible with the aspirations of the “Muslim Turkish people” and “preserves for them their heritage that is based on Islamic values” - opened the door. There is a wide debate about the identity of the Turkish Republic that must be adopted in the new constitution.

The opposition fears that the ruling party will conclude an agreement with the Islamic and conservative parties represented in Parliament - such as Happiness, Future, Development and Progress - that would lead to the establishment of the Islamic principle of the Turkish state in its new century.

And also sacrificing the principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and demolishing his legacy, which is based on secularism, as the Constitution stipulates in its second article: “The Turkish Republic is a secular democratic state governed by the rule of law, taking into account the concepts of public peace, national unity, justice, and respect for human rights consistent with Ataturk’s nationalism.” ". It is a material that is immune to harm or tampering with its formulation.

 Ankara or Istanbul?

This leads us to another fear that worries the leaders of the opposition parties, which believe that this change may be a necessary prelude to the next step, as the change could extend to the clause regarding the perpetuity of Ankara as the capital of the Turkish Republic stipulated in the constitution that is to be changed.

After taking the step of returning the Hagia Sophia Mosque to worship again, and ignoring the issue of its continuation as a museum, as Ataturk wanted; In fulfillment of Europe's desire, there will be no obstacle for Erdogan to declare Istanbul the capital of the Turkish Republic in its new bicentenary.

This is the decision that millions of Muslims throughout the Islamic world in general are waiting for from him, and if he does this, he will fulfill the desire of Islamists and Turkish conservatives in particular, who have come to represent a great popular force, and are eager to restore the glory of their Islamic state once again.

Which guarantees his transformation in their eyes into a national hero, after he succeeded where others failed over the past hundred years of the history of the Republic, as he will have thus been able to demolish all the taboos on which the state’s secularism is based, eliminate all of its inheritance, and restore the Islamic face of the country again. .

Especially with his Justice and Development Party’s insistence on constitutionally protecting the freedom to wear the hijab, which is one of the major points of contention between the government and the opposition, which believes that the matter no longer needs discussion or protection after the package of laws approved by Parliament, granting veiled women complete freedom to wear the hijab. They will complete their university studies, work in government offices, and appear in the media without restrictions or conditions.

All of these fears affecting the Turkish opposition push it to stand firmly against any attempt made by the Justice and Development Party to prepare a new constitution for the country. The Republican People’s Party even explicitly announced that it would not cooperate with the ruling party, and its president, Ozgur Ozil, even announced to the group. He told his party's parliamentarian that they would not participate in this discussion, directing his words to Erdogan, saying: "You will not be able to draw up a new constitution for the country with us."

While Meral Akşener, leader of the "Good" Party, stressed that if the expected constitutional change includes the requirement to run for more than two terms, her party will not support these changes.

Meeting the aspirations of citizens

Realizing the dream of getting rid of the current constitution drafted by the military, and starting to write a new civil constitution that meets the aspirations of citizens, this may push the opposition at some point to put aside its fears and differences with the “Justice and Development” Party, and be open to the historical opportunity available to it to accomplish this matter, including It benefits the citizens, and guarantees the Turkish state political and social stability in light of the state of turmoil that prevails in many countries of the world, and portends dire consequences, the extent of which only God knows.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.