Skip to main content

Erdogan Seeks Kurdish AlliesFor New Turkish Constitution

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking allies to support a new Turkish constitution, writes Kadri Gursel.

Feb 13, 2013
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara April 19, 2010. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2D060
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of his Justice and Development Party in parliament in Ankara. — REUTERS/Umit Bektas

All four political parties represented in the Turkish parliament want a new “civilian” constitution to replace the one imposed by a putchist military 31 years ago. The problem is that the same four parties that agree to "no’’ on the September 12 military constitution cannot agree to "yes" on a new draft constitution.

There are two main reasons for the discord. The first is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s desire to replace the Turkish parliamentary regime with an executive presidential regime on his own terms. A proposal for Erdogan’s “à la carte” authoritarian presidential system has been submitted to the parliamentary Constitutional Reconciliation Commission.

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in