Endorsement for the Turkish Constitutional Referendum

On Sunday 12 September, Juche 99, the Republic of Turkey will be holding a referendum on their Constitution. Should the referendum succeed, it will grant greater powers to the Turkish Parliament. The referendum would allow the Turkish Prime Minister to appoint judges, which as of right now they are unable to do. The Turkish Prime Minister, as or now, has the authority to appoint the president and the local governors, but cannot appoint judges.

The new changes in the constitution would also limit powers of the military. The military would become more accountable to civilian courts. This is a major change from the Constitution, which the military drafted following the coup in 1980. The referendum will also likely remove the possibility of the military taking over if the government becomes too religious or too secular, a move which the European Union would prefer.

I am supporting the “Hayir” or No Camp. I am supporting the no camp because I believe that the Turkish Constitution in its present form is what is best for Turkey. I am supportive and actually would support a military coup to overthrow this government or even future governments. I also strongly oppose Turkish membership to the European Union, even though I am sure Turkish membership would bring the union down, which is my ultimate goal. It has been said that the vote will be close.