Constitutional referendum campaign in full swing
Niyazi Dalyancı Accusations, counter accusations, heated debates and lots of hot air have taken Turkey under their grip as political leaders crisscross the country addressing the crowds urging them either to vote “yes” or “no” for the 26-article constitutional amendment package for which the balloting will take place on September 12. Yes sayers claim that the package will free the nation from the yoke of a bureaucratic regime that has placed itself above the elected representatives of the people, namely the National Assembly, clear the last vestiges of the September 12, 1980 military coup and establish new rights for the working people, women, children and pensioners, put the military under the firm control of the civilian government and bring civil rights up to the level of internationally accepted norms. Nay sayers argue that the package has been tailored to suit the needs of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, remove all the judicial controls over government practices opening the way towards a single-party, single leader autocratic regime in the country. They allege that once the package is accepted, the judiciary including the Constitutional Court and Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) will come under the full control of AKP, since President Abdullah Gul along with Erdogan and majority of the parliament will have the final say in majority of the appointments to these bodies. There are also those who campaign for boycotting the balloting spearheaded by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) that claims the amendments do not even mention the existence of the Kurdish people and ignore their demands. The main theme of Prime Minister Erdogan during his campaigning is that the package will settle accounts with the perpetrators of the 1980 coup. He accuses the nay sayers of siding with […]