Erdogan: "Our new constitution will be drafted by the people, not legal experts"

Turkey should have an understandable constitution that guarantees freedoms and fundamental rights, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday, adding that he hopes this summer's general elections will produce a Parliament ensuring broad-based participation in the drafting a new constitution afterwards. Speaking to Turkish reporters before leaving Qatar, where he worked to boost bilateral trade as well as seek a large Turkish share of Qatar's planned $180 billion in infrastructure investments to prepare the country for the 2022 World Cup, Erdogan said, "The new Constitution won't be drafted by jurists but will be made through broad-based participation of large sectors of Turkish society. When it is enacted, the people won't need an explainer to understand the new constitution." Explaining that non-governmental organizations, youth and women's organizations, labor unions, economists and social scientists will have an active hand in putting together the new constitution, Erdogan pledged to do whatever is necessary to ensure the largest participation in its writing. Stating that they would consult jurists in the final phases of drafting the new constitution, Erdogan said some NGOs are already doing preliminary work on the text and the government is encouraging such efforts. He said he dreams of a concise, easy-to-understand constitution that promotes advanced democracy and guarantees freedoms and basic rights. Touting the government's efforts to date to improve women's rights in Turkey, Erdogan said the new constitution will also guarantee women's rights, as well as do more to protect families. The current Constitution provides protection for families but this should be more concrete, he added.