Turkey deserves a new and democratic constitution, says President of Venice Commission Buquicchio

ISTANBUL (A.A) - The President of the Venice Commission of Council of Europe, Gianni Buquicchio, said Friday that "Turkey today deserved a new and democratic constitution". Speaking at the 68th meeting of Turkey-European Union (EU) Joint Parliament Committee in Istanbul, Buquicchio said that Turkey needed a new constitution. "Turkey needs constitutional amendments for two reasons. The first one has to do with the date when the constitution was adopted and the second one has to do with the content," Buquicchio said. "The Turkish constitution was a product of the military era. The spirit of the constitution represents the period in which it was adopted. Today's Turkey has a different spirit. Turkey today deserves a new and democratic constitution. For example, the electoral threshold of 10 percent in the current constitution is too high. The political system in Turkey should not be changed for two reasons. Firstly, Turkey should not embrace a presidential or semi-presidential system. The Turks have a tendency to support a parliamentarian system. Secondly, even a well functioning presidential system may turn into an autocratic system. The current political system in Turkey must be protected in the constitution," Buquicchio stressed. "The separation of powers, basic rights and the principle of secularism must be protected in the new constitution. Those who made the constitution of 1982 were concerned about protecting the state and secularism even against those elected if necessary. For instance, the unity of the state is superior to the freedom of the press. When Turkish judges place the interests of the state and freedom of expression on a scale, they choose the interests of the state although such a condition may be against the judicial opinions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). As such, cases against Turkey at the ECHR are not surprising. A solution must be found in this respect," Buquicchio said. The new constitution in Turkey must unite the whole country and should not encourage separation. It is high time for Turkey to prove itself and progress towards liberal democracy at European standards, Buquicchio underlined. Also speaking at the meeting, a Republican People's Party deputy from Istanbul, Umut Oran, said that "8 Turkish deputies, around 500 students, 107 journalists, many military personnel and local administrators were in prison. There is an atmosphere of high tension. In such an atmosphere, the process for a positive, progressive and democratic constitution gets negatively affected. I want to especially remind that the Turkish government must take steps on the judiciary and the rule of law so the process reaches the expected results".