New constitution statement from Numan Kurtulmuş! 'Discussing the first four articles...'

Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) Numan Kurtulmuş made significant statements regarding the ongoing debates over a new constitution.

Speaking to Sözcü columnist Saygı Öztürk, Kurtulmuş said that the constitution should be short, clear, and understandable, with language appropriate for modern Turkish, focusing on fundamental issues. He added that it should contain clear provisions regarding the duties and powers of the Parliament and the President, the judicial system, and not just the independence of the judiciary, but also its internal administration.

"THIS PARLIAMENT HAS BOTH THE POWER AND THE AUTHORITY TO DRAFT A CONSTITUTION"

Stating that the changes to be made would be a significant success for Turkish democracy, Kurtulmuş noted the following:

"I believe the changes to be made will be beneficial for Turkey. There is a foundation that allows institutions to exert pressure on civilian politics when the time comes. I think changing these in some way will be beneficial for Turkey. More importantly, unfortunately, a view is being put forward in this process that 'a constitution cannot be drafted with today's Parliament because it is not a Constituent Assembly.' I respect this view, but I do not find it politically correct at all. This parliament is a parliament elected by the will of the people. It has a 95 percent representation power. There are groups of 6 political parties in the parliament that received 95 percent of the votes. 15 political parties are represented in the Parliament. It is a Parliament with a very high capacity for democratic representation. This Parliament has both the power and the authority to draft a constitution. There should be no debate about this.

Thus, a comprehensive constitutional effort can now be carried out in Turkey directly through civilian will and by the hand of the Parliament. I think this will be a great achievement in itself and will move Turkey forward in terms of civilian democratic politics. Even the fact that this is doable will be a great success."

"ALMOST ALL PARTIES HAVE NO HESITATION REGARDING THE FIRST FOUR ARTICLES"

"Discussing the first four articles is an unnecessary topic of debate for Turkey. We saw once again with the representatives and administrators of the parties currently having groups in Parliament that almost all of the parties have no hesitation regarding the first four articles. There is more or less a consensus on this issue. There is no need to waste time with an unnecessary debate. Almost all political parties include drafting a new constitution in their programs. The constitutional issue did not come to the agenda as our personal opinion anyway. We are going through a very historical process. Turkey has great responsibilities and great goals we have set before us. All institutions and organizations are in a process of working with all their might. Responsibilities also fall upon the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. One of the responsibilities falling upon the TBMM is to take steps that will ensure the further democratization of Turkish politics. There are four texts that determine the democratic structure and political topography of a country. These are; the constitution, the Parliament's Rules of Procedure, the Law on Political Parties, and the Election Law. I believe there is an atmosphere in Turkey to move to a more democratic and advanced level regarding all of these. I am of the opinion that we, as the Parliament, also have a responsibility."

"IF A RESULT CAN BE PRODUCED WITH A GREAT CONSENSUS, POLITICS WILL TRULY NORMALIZE"

"With constitutional negotiations and discussions, politics will find the opportunity to normalize and increase the ground for dialogue with one another. On the other hand, the strengthening of normalization and dialogue in politics will contribute to constitutional efforts. I see this not just as a legal text, but as a reflection of political philosophy. A more democratic, inclusive, embracing, and civilian constitution. The Parliament will do this. Turkey must now rid itself of a mentality where a few people gather in a closed room, draft a constitution, and impose it upon the nation. If you manage this well, and if a result can be produced with a great consensus, as we said, politics will truly normalize."

"THOSE WHO SHAKE HANDS DO NOT NEED TO AGREE ON EVERY ISSUE"

"Politics is done by shaking hands, not by clenching fists. Those who shake hands do not need to agree on every issue. If Turkey adopts this atmosphere and this political style, it will have achieved a great gain. We hope and wish that at the end of this process, we will have a very strong, powerful, civilian, and democratic constitutional text that emerges from the Parliament. We hope that this process will strengthen the foundations of Turkish democracy and serve as a means for it to reach a mature ground where it can truly negotiate with itself."