Opposition parties replied positively to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's call for an appointment to discuss a new constitution. All the political parties represented in Parliament – the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) – confirmed that they will meet with Davutoğlu for talks on a new constitution and reforms next week. Davutoğlu is scheduled to visit Belgrade for an official visit to Serbia on Dec. 28-29 and is scheduled to meet with CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Dec. 30. No appointments have yet been arranged with the leadership of the HDP and the MHP.
Turkey's 64th government prioritizes a new, liberal constitution based on human dignity. Davutoğlu repeated his call for a new constitution at an event where he announced the government's action plan, stressing that all opposition parties should come together to amend the Constitution so that it embraces all 78 million citizens. "There is a need for support from all of society. We should be able to get rid of this disgraceful Constitution that is the residue of the Sept. 12 [1980] coup," he said. "A new constitution and judicial reforms will be prioritized in the coming period. We will take steps that our country has long been waiting for with the widest possible consensus. A much more reformist and competitive social order where freedoms will be expanded further and where everybody will be able to live with their differences in unity will be settled," Davutoğlu said. In the Nov. 1 election, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) secured 317 of the 550 seats in Parliament. According to current regulations, 367 seats are required to enact a constitutional change in Parliament without a referendum. To take a constitutional change via a referendum requires 330 seats. Because of this, support from one of the opposition parties would be enough to secure constitutional change in Parliament.
In 2011, a parliamentary commission was set up to draft the country's first civilian constitution but the commission was dissolved in 2013 after years of bilateral efforts proved futile. Even though the commission failed to draft a new constitution, the four parties had reached agreement on 60 articles. Therefore, Davutoğlu is expected to ask the other political parties to change at least 60 articles of the Constitution even if they do not support the other AK Party suggestions.
