Judge urges Turkish government to seek compromise for reforms

The government said last week it would push for constitutional amendments in the wake of a severe row with the judicial elite and a massive probe into an alleged 2003 coup plot that have raised fears of a showdown with the military and the secularist opposition.

"The country needs serious constitutional reform, but this should be done through a full compromise," Constitutional Court Chairman Haşim Kılıç said.

"Attitudes like 'I do what I want' or 'what I say is final' are wrong," said the judge, often accused of being close to the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.

Kılıç said Turkish democracy had advanced under the AKP owing to popular support for reform, but in a veiled warning over the rights of government opponents he stressed that "this wave must not swallow some layers of society."

The AKP is yet to unveil its proposals, but major opposition parties have already taken a hostile line, arguing that the initiative is designed to give the party an authoritarian grip of power.

AKP officials have signaled the planned amendments will concern notably the judiciary, which has often clashed with the government, blocking bills passed as a gesture to the party's religious grassroots.

Turkey's chief prosecutor said last month he was examining whether the AKP exerted pressure on the judiciary, a move that may in theory result in a bid to seek the party's closure at the Constitutional Court.

In 2008, the AKP narrowly escaped being outlawed for violating the country's secular system.

According to media reports, the AKP plans amendments that would require parliamentary approval to initiate closure cases against parties and change the make-up of the body regulating the appointments of judges and prosecutors.

The AKP's parliamentary majority falls short of the votes required for an outright adoption of constitutional changes, but the government has an option to push for a referendum to approve the amendments.

A legacy of the 1981 military coup, Turkey's Constitution remains under criticism for being oppressive despite several amendments over the years.

The need for a thorough overhaul is widely accepted, but AKP initiatives for reform have been met with suspicion and failed to win broad opposition support.


/Hurriyet Daily News/