On Monday 23 January, MEPs from the S&D group in the European Parliament regretted the introduction over the weekend of constitutional amendments by the Turkish parliament. These amendments confirm more powers on the president, such as the power of appointing the vice president or vice presidents, ministers and 12 of the 15 judges at the Constitutional Court. Parliament will also lose some of its prerogatives.
S&D vice president, Victor Boștinaru, in charge of foreign affairs, was concerned that this development will concentrate "more and more power in the hands of one institution, namely the presidency, while weakening the democratic checks in a society and will further weaken the rule of law in Turkey”. He explained that the opposition parties and civil society had expressed their concerns about the adoption of these amendments that could lead to the erosion of the separation of powers and the abolition of Parliamentary responsibility. Mr Boștinaru explained that, “This is detrimental for the Turkish democracy and could lead to the country moving further away from the EU’s values".
The S&D coordinator for foreign affairs, Knut Fleckenstein, said that, "In this climate of fear and purges, it is highly inappropriate to hold a referendum on such substantial constitutional changes - which will have a dramatic impact on the way the country is governed”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)