Turkey’s hopes of joining the EU have been boosted by Sunday’s vote to curb the influence of the military and to enhance the parliament’s role in appointing judges, say German media commentators. But they add that more fundamental constitutional reform is now needed.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan got a strong boost on Sunday when 58 percent of voters backed his package of reforms of the country’s military-era constitution. The changes are aimed at bringing Turkey more in line with European Union standards and helping the country’s bid to join the bloc. They have also strengthened Erdogan ahead of a general election next year.
Erdogan said the result meant the country had “crossed a historic threshold toward advanced democracy and the supremacy of law.” The reform was held on the 30th anniversary of the coup in which the army seized power in 1980. It makes the military more accountable to civilian courts and hands parliament more power to appoint judges.
The European Commission and United States President Barack Obama welcomed the result. A White House statement said the president “acknowledged the vibrancy of Turkey’s democracy as reflected in the turnout for the referendum that took place across Turkey today.”
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called the vote “an important step on Turkey’s path to Europe” but added that the outcome of accession negotiations remained open.
Erdogan’s Islam-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) has clashed repeatedly with Turkey’s highest courts, which see themselves as guardians of the country’s secular values. The opposition accused the AKP of trying to seize control of the judiciary as part of a back-door Islamist coup.
German media commentators say the referendum will help Turkey’s EU aspirations, and that Erdogan’s critics are wrong to claim that Turkey will be turned into an Islamic dictatorship as a result of the reform now approved.
But they add that the reform must just be a first step and that Turkey needs more fundamental constitutional change based on a broad compromise between the government, opposition and other major groups in society. So far Erdogan, self-assured after almost eight years in power, seems uninterested in taking that step. He should change his mind to tackle the growing impression that the AKP has become too authoritative and self-serving, German media commentators say.
The Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel writes:
“The reforms won’t turn Turkey into an Islamic dictatorship, as Erdogan’s critics claim. On the contrary, they will make the country more democratic, even though Turkey has a long way to go before it reaches EU levels. To get there one thing above all has to happen. In this moment of triumph Erdogan should drop his ambition to do everything unilaterally. He could thereby hand Turkey an important gift — a new political culture.
“Erdogan’s victory is also a success for Turkey’s EU aspirations. Brussels had supported the reforms despite some objections, and the curbs to the army’s power were especially important to the EU.”
“The long and hard-fought campaign leading up to the referendum made clear how deeply large parts of the Turkish population mistrust the AKP. Many Turks no longer regard the AKP, which has now been in power for almost eight years, as a force for reform but as a party which polarizes people and focuses mainly on its own advantages. Few believe the AKP wants to turn Turkey into an Islamic theocracy. But many believe it is becoming more authoritative.”
“Basically all parties in Ankara agree that Turkey needs more than just repairs to the current constitution. Before the vote the opposition suggested bringing all parties and important associations together to talk about a completely new constitution. Erdogan himself spoke about the need for a new constitution. But so far the prime minister, so certain of his power and ability to enact change, has shown no inclination to accommodate the other parties. He should do so now.”
The left-wing Frankfurter Rundschau writes:
“The reform is a rebuff to the army’s self-proclaimed right to seize power whenever it sees fit as guardian of the republic. And it subordinates a justice system that had grown into a state within a state. For many older Turks the day of the referendum awakened bad memories because it was held on the 30th anniversary of the military coup. More than half a million people were imprisoned during the dictatorship and more than 500 sentenced to death, and hundreds died of torture. Many Turks will have voted in favor of constitutional change for that reason.
“The outcome of the referendum may be seen as a success for Erdogan, but that is not decisive. It isn’t Erdogan who has won, but Turkish democracy. But this reform is only a first step. The ‘generals’ constitution’ that is geared towards protecting the state from its citizens rather than strengthening the rights of citizens must now be comprehensively overhauled.”
The conservative Die Welt writes:
“Most of the points in the constitutional reform are indeed in line with European standards. But the government’s portrayal of the referendum contains four significant misconceptions.”
“Firstly, the 1980 coup also brought benefits to the country. It is true that 65,000 people were arrested, many tortured and 27 executed. But in each of the three preceding years some 1,200 to 1,500 people had been killed by political terrorism. That stopped after the coup, so the generals saved lives. At least 750,000 weapons were confiscated. The constitution — made legitimate by a referendum — that is now being ‘overcome’ ensured greater stability by keeping smaller parties out of parliament. Tough reforms stabilized the economy. This, too, is a legacy of the generals: stability and prosperity, the foundation for democratic reforms.”
“Secondly, the reform isn’t ‘overcoming’ the undemocratic aspects of the constitution: the 10 percent hurdle for parliamentary representation remains in place. It excludes whole groups of society from political representation.
“Thirdly, this isn’t a change of system but a transition of power within the system. By taking over the appointment of judicial staff and undermining the power of the army the government is trying to take over the lower-ranking long-term positions of power.
“The fourth misconception is a self-delusion. The AKP is dreaming of running the country as permanently as the army once did. But every party that gets the necessary majorities will be able to use these reforms in the same way to take over the state. What Turkey needs, but isn’t trying to achieve, is a separation of state and ideology.”
— David Crossland
Source: Spiegel
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