Cicek urges parliament to address constitutional court headscarf ruling

Speaking to reporters after yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said that with its recent ruling repealing constitutional changes to lift the headscarf ban at universities, the Constitutional Court had interfered with Parliament's legislative authority and violated the principle of separation of powers. Stressing that only Parliament can make constitutional changes, Cicek said that the court can examine constitutional changes only in terms of their form, not their content. Asked about Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan's proposal to create a senate to avert a crisis, Cicek said that before considering such an idea, Parliament should address "the threat to Turkey's democracy" posed by the court decision.