On the surface, the Turks had to decide the fate of a new constitution. Officially, the case put forward had democratic plating. The new basic law was to replace the one that the soldiers, which ran the country in the 1980s, had imposed. According to the draft, the military’s privileged position in politics is to be reduced. Furthermore, the judicial system’s personnel become dependent of parliament. That body is to determine the appointment of judges and it is the legislature that will make the appointments to the enlarged constitutional court of the country.The Age Of Ideology
1. Its phrasing did not quite reveal why Turkey’s vote, on September 12, had a significance that transcended the affairs of that often ignored country. Even if it is not quite PC to talk about it, the vote has implications. On top of the list stands the European Union which, under the pressure of the indigenous Left and the USA, is being nudged to accept Turkey as a member. Of greater significance is what the results tell about the prospects and stability of states intending to be secular democracies that happen to have a Muslim population. Beyond that, crucial scenarios regarding the future of the Caucasus-Black Sea and Caspian regions are affected by the decision.
Sunday, 19 September 2010
From the desk of George Handlery on Fri, 2010-09-17 10:40
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