Ali Ihsan Yavuz, deputy chair of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), told journalists on Tuesday that they had concluded their work on a new constitution “to a point” and would soon present it to the party’s chair, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Replacing the oft-patched, outdated and undemocratic Constitution, originally drafted upon the orders of the military junta that seized power in 1980, has been an ambition of Erdoğan.
Yavuz, a member of a committee formed by the party at Erdoğan’s instruction to work on a new constitution, said their ambition remained intact. “Sooner or later, we will accomplish drafting a new, civilian, democratic constitution,” Yavuz said at an event in the central province of Eskişehir on Tuesday. He said they were working to arrange a meeting with Erdoğan amid his tight schedule. “When the opportunity arises, the constitution will be shaped and implemented,” he said.
Since the founding of the Republic of Türkiye, constitutional design has served as the backbone of the country’s legal system. The current Constitution, adopted in 1982, has been repeatedly amended over the decades, most notably in 2017, when a national referendum paved the way for the country’s transition from a parliamentary model to an executive presidential system.
Despite numerous amendments over the decades, replacing the 1982 Constitution with a new, civilian-drafted charter remains a prominent issue in Türkiye’s political debate.
Erdoğan and Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş have repeatedly advocated for a new civilian constitution, arguing that the existing charter retains the legacy of the military rule under which it was drafted despite extensive subsequent amendments.
Kurtulmuş said in August 2026 that Türkiye’s political climate and level of dialogue had matured sufficiently for work toward a new civilian constitution, describing such a charter as a longstanding objective.
