Top court strike down some oarts of constitutional reform package

After hours of deliberation over the government's pending constitutional reform package, the Constitutional Court yesterday turned back a request to overturn the entire package, but did strike down some proposed changes to the structure of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) and the court itself. The court deliberated over several parts of the package that petitioners claimed violated the requirement that the first three articles of the Constitution are unalterable, Constitutional Court Chief Justice Hasim Kilic told reporters. After deliberations, the court annulled a proposed change to how Constitutional Court members are elected. Another proposed change, concerning the selection of HSYK members, was also struck down. Under the change, the president would have chosen board members from among "top executives from the disciplines of economics and politics," but instead members will continue to be drawn from the ranks of academics and lawyers. The reform package, minus the sections the court struck down, will go to a referendum on September 12.