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Erdogan, who has led Turkey as president since 2014 and was
prime minister for more than a decade before that, has advocated
for a new constitution arguing that the current one, which was
drafted following a military coup in 1980, is outdated and
retains elements of military influence even though it was
amended several times.
“As of yesterday, I have assigned 10 legal experts to begin
their work, and with this effort, we will proceed with the
preparations for the new constitution,” Erdogan told his ruling
party’s local administrators in a speech. “For 23 years, we have
repeatedly demonstrated our sincere intention to crown our
democracy with a new civilian and libertarian constitution.”
Under the current constitution, Erdogan cannot run again unless
early elections are called or the legal framework is changed.
Critics see the push for a new constitution as a possible path
for re-election, allowing legal changes that would bypass the
constitutional term limits.
Erdogan, who has grown increasingly authoritarian over the
years, has denied seeking a new constitution in order to remain
in power, saying last week “we want the new constitution not for
ourselves, but our country.”
Erdogan’s ruling party and its nationalist allies lack the votes
needed to usher in a new constitution. Some analysts believe the
government’s recent effort to end the decades-long conflict with
the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, is part of
strategy to gain the support of a pro-Kurdish party in
parliament for the new charter.
The effort to introduce a new constitution comes months after
Ekrem Imamoglu, the popular mayor of Istanbul and a key Erdogan
rival, was arrested and jailed on corruption charges.
His arrest has been widely viewed as politically motivated
although the government insists Turkey’s judiciary is
independent and free of political influence. It triggered
widespread demonstrations calling for his release and an end to
Turkey’s democratic backsliding under Erdogan.
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