Erdogan introduces landmark reforms

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled a long-anticipated package of reforms designed to strengthen democracy. Highlights of the Erdogan's statement are as follows:

3 alternatives for the electoral system

We offer three different alternatives for the new electoral system rather than urging one:

-First option is to maintain the 10 percent electoral threshold to enter Parliament;
- Second option is to lower the threshold to 5 percent while implementing single-member district constituency system in groups of 5

- As the third option, we can remove the threshold altogether and fully implement the single-member district system.

These three alternatives will be discussed at the Parliament on the following days and the most convenient one will be brought to the agenda of the Parliament.  

State funding threshold for political parties

According to current Turkish law, parties need to receive at least 7 percent to be eligible for state funding. With an amendment concerning the law on political parties, parties that exceed 3 percent of votes in general elections will be entitled to get necessary state funding. We do believe that with this new amendment, political parties will be more powerful and participatory and enjoy the right of fair competition.

Co-chairmanship

With another amendment, we are also opening the way for political parties to have co-chairs. We have meticulously examined the co-chairmanship system all around the world and deem the changes on the said law suitable. With a new paragraph added to the article of the Electoral Law no. 15, it will be possible to have co-chairs in political parties with a number restraint of two.

Membership to the political parties

With an amendment on the Article 11 of Political Parties Law, we abolish the restrictions before membership of political parties. This reform will also enable public servants to be political party members.

Campaigning in different languages for political parties

With an amendment on the Article 298 of Political Parties Law, campaigning in different languages and dialects for political parties, including during non-election times will be allowed.  

Fight against hate crimes

We will fight more effectively against discrimination particularly based on religion, nation or ethnicity and increase the penalties for hate crimes from one year to three years. As part of the new package, there will also be punishments for those who prevent religious groups from practicing their faith. We will establish Anti-Discrimination and Equality Commission to fight against discrimination.

Respect for personal life style

Respect for personal life style will be under the protection of Turkish Penal Code. With a new paragraph added to the articles of the Turkish Penal Code, a person who intervenes in a person's lifestyle preferences shaped by his/her beliefs, opinions or conviction or forces him/her to change his/her lifestyle by resorting to force or threat or other illegal behaviors will be punished and the punishment for such crimes will range from 1 year up to 3 years.

q, w, x to be freely used

With another amendment on Turkish Penal Code, such Kurdish letters as q, w and x, which do not exist in Turkish, will be freely used in education and public services, and it will no longer be possible to press charges against those using these letters. In other words, it's a freedom for keyboards.

Freedom of assembly

Within the scope of reform package, we will make major amendments on Law on Meetings and Demonstrations no. 2911. Meetings and demonstrations in open areas will be allowed to last until sunset and meetings in closed spaces to last until 12.00 p.m. at night. Freedoms concerning the right to assembly and demonstration can only be enhanced by mutual confidence between state and citizens. As a sign of confidence in civil society, the presence of the Government Commissioner is no longer needed during meetings and demonstration marches.  The duties of the Government Commissioner will be transferred to Regulatory Boards.

Education in different languages

With the new legal reforms, we will pave the way for education in different languages and dialects in private schools. We have scrutinised some examples in the world. As you know, with the 2003 reform, we introduced private education courses for different languages and dialects. Then, we helped establish new departments of different languages and dialects at our universities. With last year's education reform, we paved the way for teaching different languages and dialects as elective courses at schools. And now, we are enabling education in different languages and dialects at private schools. Law no. 2923 regulates education in languages and dialects other than Turkish and an appendix to that law will enable the establishment of private education institutions within the framework of the Law on Private Educational Institutions. The Cabinet will decide on the medium of instruction in these institutions and the Ministry of National Education will regulate the procedures and principles on establishing and auditing such institutions. The schedules will be arranged by the Ministry of National Education and some courses will be in Turkish, as current law suggests.

Restoration of village and town names

We will eliminate the legal obstacle before changing the names of villages and such pave the way for restoration of the names that were in use until 1980's. We, as the Government, will consider the demands for renaming the provinces and districts and that renaming will take place via Ministry of Interior's assent.

Haci Bektasi Veli University

Another reform will be renaming Nevsehir University as Haci Bektasi Veli University. Such, a grand figure in our history will name the university in his hometown.

Legal guarantee for person data

We will ensure legal guarantee for the protection of personal data. We introduced constitutional guarantee for personal data with the 2010 constitution amendment and now, we will forward the draft law to the National Assembly in order to put the amendment into practice. In this way, the personal data will not be used by non-authorized people.

Partial freedon for headscarf in public institutions

We will remove the ban on headscarf in public institutions with an amendment in the regulation regarding the attire of personnel working in public institutions which includes restrictive clauses for both men and women. Those clauses violate the right to work and freedom of religion and conscience. However, we exclude the personnel of the Turkish Armed Forces and Turkish National Police, who are obliged to wear uniforms and the judges, prosecutors.

Removal of the student oath

We will remove the student oath practice at primary schools that was introduced by the Ministry of National Education in 1933. Last year, we lifted this practice in secondary schools.

Restoration of Mor Gabriel Monestry land ownership

The land of Mor Gabriel Monestry will be returned to the monastery foundation. Hence, we will restore a significant right of our Assyrian citizens. In the history of Republic, our government engaged actively in restoration of rights.

Romani institute

A "Romani Institute" will be established at a university in one of the provinces densely populated with Romani citizens in order to conduct scientific studies on the language and culture of Romani citizens, as well as to research the problems they have encountered and to develop solutions. In this regard, efforts initiated after the Romani Workshop, first of its kind, organized in 2009 by the relevant ministries and institutions will be accelerated. We have also taken important steps for the settlement of Romani citizens and begun to build houses for them with the help of Housing Development Administration (TOKI) in several towns and cities including Edirne, Canakkale, Sakarya and Bursa.