PM Üstel Meets Özerdağ And Supreme Council Of the Judiciary: Referendum Targeted For May

Prime Minister Ünal Üstel met with Supreme Court President Bertan Özerdağ and members of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary. The meeting focused on the constitutional amendments planned for the judiciary.

Üstel stated that an ad-hoc committee would be formed in the Assembly of the Republic on the issue and that a productive meeting had been held in order to agree on a referendum date in May together with the leader of the main opposition party.

Supreme Court President Bertan Özerdağ also underlined that in order for the amendment to be realised, unity must be ensured in the work carried out in the Assembly of the Republic and that the process should be embraced by all political parties and submitted to the public for approval.

The meeting at the Assembly of the Republic was also attended by coalition partners Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu, and Minister of Public Works and Transport Erhan Arıklı.

Ünal Üstel: We Held A Productive Meeting To Hold A Referendum In May

In a statement following the meeting, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said that the constitutional amendments requested by the Supreme Council of the Judiciary regarding the judiciary had been evaluated in the Council of Ministers and with government MPs.

He noted that the government had taken decisions to ensure the amendments were made swiftly, to provide the necessary support to the judiciary and to further strengthen its independence, and that these decisions had been shared with the Supreme Council of the Judiciary.

Üstel said the requested amendments would be turned into a draft text, worked on in detail, first evaluated within the government and then in the Assembly of the Republic, and that an ad-hoc committee including all political parties would be established. He added that a certain period of time would be needed for the completion of the process.

Stating that a productive meeting had been held to agree on a referendum date in May together with the leader of the main opposition party, Üstel said:
“Our respect for the judiciary is infinite. We are a government that believes in judicial independence.”

Emphasising the importance of further strengthening the judiciary, Üstel recalled that referendums in the past had been held together with election periods and added:
“This time, we need to determine a date for a referendum solely on the judiciary, without holding either general or local elections.”

Üstel said that the issue would be discussed in the committee where all political parties would express their views and would be brought to the public agenda swiftly.
“I already wish this judicial reform package to be beneficial for our country,” he said.

Prime Minister Üstel also stated that laws requested by the judiciary and the Bar Association would be passed through the Assembly of the Republic.

Bertan Özerdağ: Unity In Parliamentary Work Is Important

Supreme Court President Bertan Özerdağ recalled that the constitutional amendment, which was also raised in the General Assembly of the Republic the previous day, had previously been discussed during visits to political parties.

Özerdağ said that work was being carried out by the Prime Minister and coalition partners on holding a referendum on the draft constitution prepared by the Supreme Court to contribute to “strengthening the judiciary, increasing its capacity and accelerating judicial processes.”

He stated that they had been informed that the issue would be evaluated within an ad-hoc committee to be established under the Assembly of the Republic, and stressed that the proposed constitutional amendment would bring benefits to society.

Özerdağ emphasised that in order for the constitutional amendment to be realised, unity must be ensured in the work carried out in the Assembly of the Republic and that it must be embraced by all political parties and submitted to the people for approval.

For this reason, he said that following their meeting with the Prime Minister and government officials, they would also meet with the Chair of the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP).

Stressing the importance of supporting the constitutional amendment, Özerdağ said:
“After our meetings, we will be in a position to provide more detailed information to the public.”

Thanking Prime Minister Üstel, Özerdağ said they would closely follow the process. He added that by changing, with public approval, the factors that cause congestion in the judiciary, a stronger and faster-functioning judicial system would be created, and that they expected society as a whole to take ownership of this process.