AK Party to meet opposition for new constitution package
by Elif Petek Samatyalı
ANKARAAug 15, 2016 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Elif Petek Samatyalı
Aug 15, 2016 12:00 am
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the National Development Party (MHP) will take the second step for a new constitutional package at a meeting on Tuesday to shape the small package.
Following the first meeting on the constitution package on Friday, the second meeting is expected to be joined by the same members: AK Party Secretary-General Abdülhamit Gül, CHP Deputy Chairman Bülent Tezcan and Mehmet Parsak from the MHP's Central Executive Board. Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Gül said, "What gathers us here is the spirit of national unity and solidarity of the Yenikapı rally." Asserting that the AK Party is determined to maintain the current atmosphere of compromise to reiterate Turkey's fight for democracy after the attempted coup, Gül said, "We hope that we will make amendments to the Constitution to address the urgent needs of our democracy." Gül also said that the amendments would be submitted to party leaders after reaching a mutual consensus through compromise.
Tezcan said that the priority is to settle accounts with the putschists before the law, then to normalize and democratize the country. Stressing that one of the main requirements for Turkey's democratization is to form an independent and objective judiciary with the mini constitution reform package, Tezcan said, "The judiciary should not be in the hands of politics, cults or congregations."
Parsak also stressed the importance of not wasting the current atmosphere of reconciliation, saying, "We expect these commission studies to be considered as the headquarters of fulfilling the expectations of our people and the needs of our state as well as putting out the ongoing fire in the country."
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