Turkish parliament adopts package of measures for democratization

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.12 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The Constitution Commission of the Turkish parliament has adopted a package of measures for democratization, Turkish Milliyet newspaper reported on Feb.12. On Sept. 30, 2013, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a new package of measures for the country's democratisation. All political parties in Turkey will move to a system of two chairmen, that is two will lead the parties, according to the new package. Moreover, Prime Minister said that during the election campaign, parties may use not only Turkish, but also other languages spoken in the country. A term of imprisonment for crimes motivated by racial hatred will be increased by three years to eliminate inter-ethnic conflict in the country, according to the package of measures. The democratisation package also envisages lifting the ban on hijab headscarves in the Turkish state organisations, except for the Armed Forces. The package of measures for democratization was ambiguously perceived by Turkish opposition. In particular, Turkish Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli said that the package of measures does not take into account the rights of the Turkish people and it is detrimental to the interests of people and contrary to the country's interests. Follow us on Twitter @TRENDNewsAgency