BRUSSELS, — The European Union Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) has released a statement about the results in Turkey general elections on 12 June and urges Turkish authorities to release six new Kurdish members of parliament.
The Commission stated that “Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP has won a third consecutive landslide victory in the Turkish parliamentary elections held on 12 June 2011. However, this tremendous achievement carries with it an even greater responsibility to enact long-needed democratic reforms which would help answer the legitimate demands of Turkey’s long-suffering ethnic Kurdish population. Indeed Erdogan has long promised to do just this”.
Put the Commission statement pointed out that “If he is ever truly to make his positive mark on Turkish history he must now use his new electoral victory to lead the drive to write and enact a new democratic Turkish constitution to replace the repressive one written 30 years ago by the military following its seizure of power in September 1980”.
The Commission stressed that “Political dialogue and reconciliation by peaceful means with the opposition will be necessary to write this new democratic constitution”. However the Commission also noted that “because Erdogan’s AKP did not win enough seats in the new Turkish parliament to write it alone. The AKP needed to win 367 seats to push through a new constitution without putting it to a popular referendum and at least 330 seats to place constitutional amendments before the public without consulting the opposition. Instead the AKP won only 326 seats in parliament”.
Therefore, the Commission pointed out that “Erdogan will need help from at least some of the opposition parties which include the Kemalist Republican People’s Party (CHP) that won 26 percent of the vote and 135 seats in parliament, the ultra-Turkish nationalist National Action Party (MHP) that won 13 percent of the vote and 53 seats in parliament, and the pro-Kurdish Labour, Democracy and Freedom Block which won 6 percent of the vote and 36 seats in parliament by running independent candidates. Given its obvious interest in reform, the 36 parliamentary seats now held by the pro-Kurdish Block must come into play as Turkey seeks to write a new reform constitution”.
According to the final remarks by the Commission if “Turkey is truly going to solve its Kurdish problem, achieve greater autonomy, and successfully pursue its EU accession process, the six new members of parliament as well as the many others KCK members currently incarcerated must be released. Everyone must work together in order to promote a new more democratic Turkey. This will be a very difficult road to travel, but it must be attempted”.
The statement has been signed by the Chair of the EUTCC, Kariane Westrheim and EUTCC Board of Directors Hans Branscheidt and Michel Gunter.