The joint Turkish opposition, “The table for 6”, on Monday announced a constitutional package for restoring democracy, the rule of law and a parliamentary system in case of an election victory in 2023 against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We are committed to implementing our ‘Strengthened Parliamentary System Constitutional Amendment Proposal’ with the hope that it will bring peace and tranquillity to all our nation and future generations,” the joint declaration wrote.
The constitutional package comprises 167 articles in nine main topics, primarily aiming to return the country to a parliamentary system of democracy from the current executive presidential system, which Erdogan created in 2017 with a controversial referendum.
“The most problematic part of the current constitution, which infects the entire system, is … the ‘one-man regime,’” Serhan Yucel, secretary general of the DEVA Party, said at the official ceremony.
The package would return the presidency to its previously symbolic role and restore parliament’s powers with strong checks and balances on the government. The current election threshold of 7 per cent would also drop to 3 per cent.
Representatives of the six opposition parties, the main opposition Republican People’s Party, CHP, the İYİ (Good) Party, Felicity Party, Democratic Party, Future Party and DEVA Party, have been working on the constitutional amendment proposal for months.
The so-called Table for 6 was initiated by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the social democratic CHP, in February. The six parties pledged to work together to end the rule of President Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party, AKP, by fielding a joint presidential candidate and proposing a new political system. The move was seen as a major step by political observers.
Amid a high degree of political polarisation and a grim economic crisis, strongman Erdogan faces his greatest challenge in 20 years of rule, lagging behind the opposition in elections polls.
While the exact date of the election is yet not set, polls are expected to take place by the end of June.
Source : BalkanInsight
