New constitution draft to be presented to Erdoğan is ready! The debate within the AKP has emerged...

The constitutional preparations that the AKP has been conducting quietly throughout the summer have returned to the agenda with "referendum and early election" claims circulating on social media. Nefes newspaper columnist Nuray Babacan, in her article titled "The Constitution and Subtle Calculations", shared the details of the meetings that have been ongoing for weeks at the Presidential Palace.

According to Babacan, this process, which AKP members call a "civilian constitution," continued without interruption throughout the summer months:

"In the words of the AKP members, 'civilian constitution' work continued at the Presidential Palace throughout the summer, every week, with meetings held sometimes twice and sometimes once. Both the responsible deputy group chairmen and the deputy chairmen of the party attended these meetings almost without fail."

During the meetings, all institutions and articles of the current constitution were examined one by one. Topics such as "the judiciary," "the electoral system," and "local governments" were specifically addressed. Stating that the work has now reached the reporting stage, Babacan used the expression, "The commission will present the framework text it prepares to President Tayyip Erdoğan. It is stated that at least three more months are needed to reach this point."

According to Babacan, the content of the new constitution draft has not yet taken shape, but notable topics are being discussed in the corridors. One of these is the debate over whether the president and party chairmen should be the same person. Another debate concerns the powers of local governments. Babacan raised the question, "While the powers of municipalities are being further restricted in the local government draft prepared by the Ministry of Interior, will provisions regarding stronger local governments, as demanded by the DEM, be included in the new constitution?"

It was also stated that various revision plans for the Presidential Government System are being discussed. While some circles argue that the system should be completely renewed, others believe that the current structure should only be "revised to become more advantageous." By asking, "Will there be a surprise awaiting the commission members who say that the first four articles of the constitution are not a subject of debate? Will the moving forward of the elections be prevented, even if by a TBMM decision, shortly before the elections?", Babacan pointed out that the upcoming period could be tense.

According to Babacan, the truly critical period will begin after the draft is presented to Erdoğan. The AKP will first share the new text with the MHP, and then seek contact with other political parties. It is also being discussed that new "political partners" might be brought into play during this process:

"The AKP will take its draft to political parties, primarily the MHP. Or, formulas will be put forward to include other parties. Efforts will be made to create new 'political partners'."

However, stating that none of these steps are guaranteed, Babacan emphasized how sensitive the balances of the process are by saying, "All these subtle calculations could change with a single gust of wind."

REFERENDUM AND ELECTION CALCULATIONS ARE BEING MADE TOGETHER

According to Babacan, at the center of the debate within the AKP is not only the constitutional amendment but also the calendar relationship between the referendum and the general election. Two different views stand out within the party.

One group argues that the political momentum gained after the constitutional referendum should be immediately carried over to the general election; while the other group thinks that a possible "no" result in the referendum could leave the government in a difficult position.

Babacan summarized this debate with the following words:

"It is said that 'if the constitution is accepted, the election should be planned without losing this momentum, and if the constitution is rejected, the psychology of a defeated government should be managed well.'"

Some party lawyers, on the other hand, oppose combining the referendum and the general election. According to them, the two processes coinciding in the same period carries risks both legally and politically."

Stating that no decision has been finalized at this stage, Babacan used the expressions, "Fine-tuning is being attempted to come out on top. It is true that there is an exchange of ideas regarding all of this. However, there is no finalized decision on the table."

"THIS MATTER IS FAR FROM SETTLED"

At the end of her article, Nuray Babacan noted that the new constitution process will be a long and difficult road, and will be shaped according to developments in politics:

"As you can see, this matter is far from settled. Given that 2028 is the deadline for the general election, every spring and every autumn of each year before that is a candidate for this."

News Source: 12punto