Charter debate begins with battlefield analogy

Turkey's constitutional commission has begun negotiations on a new charter amid tension, as two opposition parties' objection to the proposal on the grounds that it contradicts the first articles of the current constitution and that the state of emergency is still in effect was rejected by the parliamentary commission chair. 

The parliamentary constitutional committee commenced the debate on the entire charter after the main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) demanded the withdrawal of the constitutional proposal on the grounds that the charter violated the first four articles of the current constitution, which stipulates that the system cannot be changed, was refused by the panel chair on Dec. 21. 

The Peoples' Democracy Party (HDP), which focuses on the Kurdish issue, also raised concerns about the legitimacy and the transparency of the constitutional discussions, arguing that the proposal could not be discussed democratically within the conditions where 12 lawmakers are imprisoned and the state of emergency is still in effect. 

The demands of the CHP and the HDP representatives were rejected by the committee chair and negotiations started on the general proposal.  

Battlefield analogy

CHP committee member Özgür Özel's previous comments reiterating his party's determination to object to the enactment of the constitutional amendment caused tension in the panel as Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers accused him of making threats. 

Özel likened the CHP's opposition to the constitutional amendment to several battles fought in the Independence War, which led to the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1923, considering the AKP and the CHP as two combatting sides. "We will not...