Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop Friday said that the discussion for a new constitution should be supported with greater participation.
Speaking at an event to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Constitution, which was the fundamental law of Turkey for a brief period from 1921 to 1924 and the first constitution of the modern Turkish state, organized by Istanbul University in Istanbul, Şentop evaluated recent developments for a new constitution.
"We need to support the discussion for the establishment of a new constitution by enlarging it in Turkey. I hope that this discussion will be intensified in the following days. A discussion only based on some slogans and principles will not take Turkey forward."
He also added that the debates related to the system of government in Turkey, are essentially debates for a new constitution.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently said that work has begun for a new and civilian constitution for the people, adding that the 1982 Constitution has lost its validity, underlining that the new constitution will be the product of a transparent process.
Since 1982, the current Constitution, drafted following a military coup, has seen a number of amendments. The bloody 1980 coup, which led to the detention of hundreds of thousands of people along with mass trials, torture and executions, still represents a dark period in Turkish political history.
Erdoğan on Feb. 1 had announced, "It is time for Turkey to discuss a new constitution again." Amid debates for a new civil constitution, Erdoğan also said that Turkey will have a comprehensive, clear, democratic and liberal constitution to guide the country in the upcoming century. The president wants Turkey to have a civilian-drafted constitution by 2023, coinciding with the centenary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. He also underlined that the doors are open for all political parties to contribute to constitutional reform.
