Turkey's ruling party ready to pursue new constitution

ANKARA

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has pledged his ruling and Justice and Development (AK) Party will continue efforts to draft a new constitution as long as there are no preconditions.

The Constitution Conciliation Committee, which had been seeking to overhaul a charter that dates in parts to a period of military rule in the early 1980s, was dissolved last month amid arguments over replacing the parliamentary system with a presidential model.

In a letter to committee Chairman Ismail Kahraman, released by the prime minister’s office Wednesday, Davutoglu said: “I would like to express that we are ready to the pursue committee talks in the event that the attending political parties do not limit the working methods and principles with any precondition or imposition.”

The committee broke up on Feb. 17 after members from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) walked out.

In his letter, Davutoglu criticized the CHP for its “conditional negotiations” that contradicted democratic methods. Before the talks, the CHP had insisted on protecting the parliamentary system.

“By leading the committee to a stalemate with such excuses, the CHP has become solely responsible for the delay to our nation’s demand for a new constitution,” he said.

The committee of 12 deputies from each of Turkey’s four parliamentary parties first met on Feb. 3 in a bid to redraw the constitution.

ANKARA

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has pledged his ruling and Justice and Development (AK) Party will continue efforts to draft a new constitution as long as there are no preconditions.

The committee broke up on Feb. 17 after members from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) walked out.

In his letter, Davutoglu criticized the CHP for its “conditional negotiations” that contradicted democratic methods. Before the talks, the CHP had insisted on protecting the parliamentary system.

“By leading the committee to a stalemate with such excuses, the CHP has become solely responsible for the delay to our nation’s demand for a new constitution,” he said.

The committee of 12 deputies from each of Turkey’s four parliamentary parties first met on Feb. 3 in a bid to redraw the constitution.