Pro-Kurdish party denies talks with parliament speaker over constitution
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Thursday denied having held meetings with the parliament’s speaker regarding the country’s constitution, amid controversy over amendments.
“As the DEM Party, we have neither had a new meeting with Speaker of the Parliament Mr [Numan] Kurtulmus regarding the constitution nor made any statements that could be considered a proposal or draft on the matter,” wrote DEM Party spokesperson Aysegul Dogan on X.
Dogan’s comments were in response to reports suggesting that delegations of the pro-Kurdish party have recently met with the Parliament Speaker Kurtulmus to discuss the largely debated proposal for a new constitution.
Despite denying the reports, Dogan said that her party continues to discuss the matter internally.
“DEM Party is continuing its constitutional coordination work internally; we are aware of the reasons behind some deliberately circulated reports outside of our relevant and authorized committees … these reports, which are not binding for our party, should not be taken into consideration,” she said.
DEM Party is accused of being the political wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara labels as a terrorist group. The Turkish public perceives it as a separatist party, and any attempt by the party to discuss the constitution is met with backlash from Turkish nationalists.
Following his win in last year’s presidential election, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been openly critical of the constitution and said it is time for a new one.
The current Turkish constitution was written in 1982 following a military coup. Despite amendments made in 2017 that swapped the country’s parliamentary system for a presidential one, Erdogan remains unhappy with what he has labeled the “1982 coup constitution.”
Recent comments made by the leader of the Kurdish Islamist Free Cause Party (Huda Par) Zekeriya Yapicioglu about making changes to the first four articles of the Turkish constitution sparked political controversy. The lawmaker has said that the articles should not be in the constitution.
The first three articles of the constitution define Turkey as a democratic, secular, and social republic. It also sets Turkish as the official language of the state, adding that Turkey “with its territory and nation, is an indivisible entity.”
Article 4 states that the provisions of the first three articles “shall not be amended, nor shall their amendment be proposed.”
The articles leave no place for the Kurdish language or Kurdish rights. Kurds make up an estimated 20 percent of Turkey’s population.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the Opposition’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) unleashed a scathing attack on Yapicioglu, claiming that Huda Par was against the Turkish state and the Turkish flag.
“According to political science and legal science, changing the constitution is the right of members of parliament,” Yapicioglu told Rudaw’s Hevidar Zana during a televised interview on Wednesday. “As an MP, I wanted the points that prevent the amendment of the constitution to be discussed. In particular, I wanted to discuss Article 4, which prevents the amendment of the constitution. After that, the attacks began.”
Yapicioglu also touched on how the current constitution prohibits minorities, including Kurds, from studying in their native language, and the need to provide this “natural right.”
Article 66 of the constitution states that all citizens of Turkey are Turks.
“As long as this constitution remains like this, no one can talk about federalism and autonomy, and no one can talk about Article 66 of the constitution. Now in Turkey, no one can change the constitution and open this discussion,” said Yapicioglu, claiming that even if the parliament moves forward with the previously-suggested amendments, it would not resolve the country’s problems, because the constitution is in need of a complete change.
“As the DEM Party, we have neither had a new meeting with Speaker of the Parliament Mr [Numan] Kurtulmus regarding the constitution nor made any statements that could be considered a proposal or draft on the matter,” wrote DEM Party spokesperson Aysegul Dogan on X.
Dogan’s comments were in response to reports suggesting that delegations of the pro-Kurdish party have recently met with the Parliament Speaker Kurtulmus to discuss the largely debated proposal for a new constitution.
Despite denying the reports, Dogan said that her party continues to discuss the matter internally.
“DEM Party is continuing its constitutional coordination work internally; we are aware of the reasons behind some deliberately circulated reports outside of our relevant and authorized committees … these reports, which are not binding for our party, should not be taken into consideration,” she said.
DEM Party is accused of being the political wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara labels as a terrorist group. The Turkish public perceives it as a separatist party, and any attempt by the party to discuss the constitution is met with backlash from Turkish nationalists.
Following his win in last year’s presidential election, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been openly critical of the constitution and said it is time for a new one.
The current Turkish constitution was written in 1982 following a military coup. Despite amendments made in 2017 that swapped the country’s parliamentary system for a presidential one, Erdogan remains unhappy with what he has labeled the “1982 coup constitution.”
Recent comments made by the leader of the Kurdish Islamist Free Cause Party (Huda Par) Zekeriya Yapicioglu about making changes to the first four articles of the Turkish constitution sparked political controversy. The lawmaker has said that the articles should not be in the constitution.
The first three articles of the constitution define Turkey as a democratic, secular, and social republic. It also sets Turkish as the official language of the state, adding that Turkey “with its territory and nation, is an indivisible entity.”
Article 4 states that the provisions of the first three articles “shall not be amended, nor shall their amendment be proposed.”
The articles leave no place for the Kurdish language or Kurdish rights. Kurds make up an estimated 20 percent of Turkey’s population.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the Opposition’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) unleashed a scathing attack on Yapicioglu, claiming that Huda Par was against the Turkish state and the Turkish flag.
“According to political science and legal science, changing the constitution is the right of members of parliament,” Yapicioglu told Rudaw’s Hevidar Zana during a televised interview on Wednesday. “As an MP, I wanted the points that prevent the amendment of the constitution to be discussed. In particular, I wanted to discuss Article 4, which prevents the amendment of the constitution. After that, the attacks began.”
Yapicioglu also touched on how the current constitution prohibits minorities, including Kurds, from studying in their native language, and the need to provide this “natural right.”
Article 66 of the constitution states that all citizens of Turkey are Turks.
“As long as this constitution remains like this, no one can talk about federalism and autonomy, and no one can talk about Article 66 of the constitution. Now in Turkey, no one can change the constitution and open this discussion,” said Yapicioglu, claiming that even if the parliament moves forward with the previously-suggested amendments, it would not resolve the country’s problems, because the constitution is in need of a complete change.