THE OPPOSITION DOES NOT HAVE ANY ARGUMENTS REGARDING THE CONTENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

Attending Ramadan dinner given by Besiktas District Organization of the AK Party together with Dimitris L. Avramopoulos, vice chairman of the New Democracy Party in Greece, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis in his speech he delivered there said, "The reason why the opposition leaders who run ‘no' campaign don't go into the content of the package is that they don't have any argument with respect to the content of the package".

Bagis said:

"Many things have been changing in Turkey. When we go to the polls on 12 September, we won't elect a new headman, a new mayor or a ruling party but rather we will express our preference as to living in a more free country. 12 September is an important day in our history. It is the date when Ismet Inonu signed the Ankara Agreement. While 12 September 1980 is the date of the period when democracy in Turkey came to a halt and lives were made miserable. However 12 September 2010 will exceed all occasions of 12 September and be a turning point in the democratic process. We will guarantee positive discrimination on 12 September.

We will put an end to blacklisting which is one of the greatest shameful aspects of this country on 12 September. We will provide public employees with the right to conclude collective agreements with our ‘yes' votes on 12 September. That day we will put into effect the constitutional amendment necessary for the establishment of the Ombudsman institution. In fact, the Ombudsman institution is what the Ottomans practised as the office of chief kadi and what the European politicians liked and practised in their own countries, it is the system called ‘Ombudsman'. We are moving forward in the EU process on the one hand, while on the other returning to our origin. We will clear the way for recourse to judicial review against the decisions taken by the Supreme Military Council and enable the judges and public prosecutors expelled from the judiciary to have recourse to courts for the disciplinary charges brought against them for the first time in this country."

Egemen Bagis stated that with the adoption of the amendment to the article which will ensure individual application to the Constitutional Court on 12 September and with the increase of the number of members of the Supreme Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors which deals with the problems of 11 thousand judges and public prosecutors to 22, it will be ensured that a more effective performance is given there.

Indicating that the constitutional package would transform Turkey into a more modern and wealthier country, Bagis said, "The reason why the opposition leaders who run ‘no' campaign don't go into the content of the package is that they don't have any argument with respect to the content of the package".

Source: AA