Binali Yıldırım: The way should be opened for Erdoğan to run for presidency again

DHA

Creation Date: February 26, 2025 19:18

Within the scope of ‘Turkey's Civil Constitution Journey Project’ prepared by the Legal Research Association with the contribution of the Ministry of Interior's Directorate General for Civil Society Relations, the New Constitution İzmir Meeting was held at the Bakırçay University Conference Hall. Former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Binali Yıldırım was the guest of honor of the program. The meeting was attended by Chief Advisor to the President Mustafa Akış, İzmir Deputy Governor Mehmet Sadık Tunç, AK Party İzmir MP Mahmut Atilla Kaya, İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor Ali Yeldan, İzmir Regional Court of Justice Justice Commission President İdris Kizir, İzmir Judiciary Commission President Gökberk Sunal, İzmir Bakırçay University President Prof. Dr. Mustafa Berktaş, İzmir Katip Çelebi University President Prof. Dr. Saffet Köse, Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Sadık Doğruer, Legal Research Association (HUDER) General President Hasan Oymak, HUDER İzmir Branch President Halit Aydın Kayacan, academicians and students.

'CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IS REQUIRED'

Speaking at the program, Binali Yıldırım stated that the 1982 law, which is still in effect, has been amended 23 times to date, and 135 of its 177 articles have been changed, and said, "There are many issues that are Turkey's priorities. The economic model implemented, the problems of those with fixed incomes, the high cost of living, and the threats posed to Turkey by developments in our region are important. Among these, constitutional amendment is a task that cannot be ignored. Constitutional amendment is, in a sense, directly proportional to the change between generations. The second 25, who come after the 25-year-olds, do not live in the same conditions as the first 25-year-olds. The world, the country, and expectations are changing. Even to meet the needs of generations, constitutional amendment alone is necessary. The elements of tutelage and the removal of coup traces are the advantages of this task. No matter how many changes we make, there are traces of coups on the 1982 constitution. The traces of coups must be removed. The way to do this is to make a new civil constitution."

'NO ONE CAN DISCUSS THE FIRST 4 ARTICLES OF THE CONSTITUTION'

"Let a civil constitution be made, let everyone contribute," said Yıldırım, "There is no difference between the constitution and the contract made between two companies. The contract is made between the company and the employee, and here, an agreement is made between the nation and the state and its institutions that will govern that nation. Sometimes, people ask, 'Why are there unchangeable articles of the constitution?' This is not something that happened from yesterday to today. What hardships Turkey has gone through, the first 4 unchangeable articles of Turkey are the result of a 100-year accumulation. It is not something that was put in place from yesterday to today. The unitary state structure, the democratic secular Republic, these are the trusts of Atatürk and his comrades-in-arms. No one can do anything on this, they cannot open these up for discussion. But there is other work to be done. We will make the judiciary work better. Confidence in the judiciary is low, cases are decided late. Work is being done for this, we will need to give a little more importance to these in the new civil constitution."

'THE DEFINITION OF CITIZENSHIP MAY BE REVISED IN THE NEW CONSTITUTION'

Yıldırım continued his words as follows:

"While fighting terrorism, those who support terrorist organizations say, 'Let the mother tongue issue be resolved.' The name of our state is the Republic of Turkey and everyone who is connected to this country through citizenship is Turkish. They say, 'No one else has the right to live except Turks.' There is no such thing, this is a definition of a nation. There are elements of this nation. There have been Kurds, Turks, Assyrians, Abkhazians and Circassians on these lands for 1000 years. The definition of citizenship can be reviewed in the new constitution. An update can be made that prioritizes citizenship regardless of who the ethnic identity is, instead of defining or highlighting an ethnic identity. This can save some ethnic groups from thinking that they are neglected. There is no obstacle to this, there is no need for chauvinism, what binds us is our flag, our land and our nation. It is our nation with its Kurds, Turks and other ethnic groups. An update can be made based on this. One of the important issues that needs to be done in the new constitution is decentralization of local governments. Instead of controlling everything from Ankara, authority should be transferred."

'EVERYONE'S EYES ARE ON TURKEY'

Yıldırım, who said that not only Turkey but the entire world is going through a difficult process, said, “He was elected president in America and it is on the agenda every day. One day he goes to Gaza, the next day to Ukraine, Canada. He scolds the Europeans, may God bless his end. This harms developing countries. Foreign exchange is increasing, countries with limited natural resources and countries that are still dependent on foreign money are harmed by this. The position we are in is always a position that is prone to a threat or trouble. We are surrounded by instability and danger. Under all these conditions, the Republic of Turkey has to stay strong, we have no other choice. For this reason, we need stability, trust and most importantly, a strong leader. Therefore, the way should be opened for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to run for president again, the new constitution should foresee this.”