A constitutional commission formed on the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is preparing to submit its comprehensive work on a proposed new constitution after meeting again on Jan. 12 in Ankara, according to a report by the Sabah newspaper.
The 11-member AK Party Constitutional Commission, chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, has held around 20 meetings so far as part of efforts to lay the groundwork for a new civilian constitution. The commission last convened on Dec. 29. Officials say the panel is expected to present its findings to Erdoğan following the January meeting.
Party sources say the process is not intended to be conducted behind closed doors. The commission plans to engage in broad consultations with lawmakers, academics, civil society representatives and other segments of society. Existing constitutional studies, accumulated experience and previously expressed ideas will be taken into account, and contributions from experts in various fields may be sought when needed.
During its meetings, the commission reviewed Türkiye’s constitutional history, including the constitutions of 1921, 1924, 1961 and 1982, focusing on key changes and critical turning points. Discussions also addressed the question of what kind of constitution is desired and comparative analyses of presidential, semi-presidential and parliamentary systems used in other countries.
Each system’s historical background, implementation and outcomes were examined through examples.
Election systems, judicial authority and checks-and-balances mechanisms featured prominently in the talks, officials said. Some sensitive topics were assigned to individual commission members for further study. Presentations included global election systems, constitutional approaches to the judiciary, oversight mechanisms and procedural models for drafting a new constitution.
The government has been pushing to overhaul the Constitution for over a decade now, which was adopted in 1982 following a military coup that led to the detention of hundreds of thousands of people along with mass trials, torture and executions, which still represents a dark period in Turkish political history.
Erdoğan and AK Party officials have repeatedly called for a new civilian constitution to replace it, describing the current one as "outdated.”
The AK Party has long campaigned for a new constitution, including a declaration announced during its 2023 election campaign. The “New Constitution for the New Century of Türkiye” declaration, which refers to the second century of the Republic of Türkiye, underlined the need for a new constitution. “Establishing a constitutional order based on human dignity for the prevalence of developments in the field of rights and freedoms is necessary,” the 2023 declaration said.
The declaration also said the constitution would preserve democratic gains acquired during the AK Party’s governance and would ensure a high-standard democracy, guarantees for freedoms and the supremacy of law.
