Secular groups vow to seek No vote in Turkish reform poll

Turkey’s secular establishment vowed yesterday to campaign for a No vote in a September referendum on constitutional reforms, seen as a test of confidence in prime minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government.
Setting the tone for what could be a hot political summer, a senior judge and the main opposition party criticised a constitutional court ruling that left proposals to limit the power of the judiciary largely intact. Opponents see the reforms as a government attempt to seize control of all levers of the state and undermine Turkey’s secular principles.

Mr Erdogan says the reforms are needed to bring Turkey’s military-drafted constitution in line with those of European democracies, and to enhance the Muslim nation’s bid for European Union membership. “With the referendum in September and general elections in mid-2011, Turkey will be going through an uninterrupted campaigning period, which raises the risk of policy inertia and concerns about fiscal performance,” said Wolfango Piccoli from the Eurasia consultancy.

Note EU-Digest: The military in every democratic society is always subservient to the political establishment. In the present Turkish Constitution the military is put above the law. This establishes the Turkish military as a major player in the Turkish political arena and this certainly can not be seen as a desirable situation.'

For more: Secular groups vow to seek No vote in Turkish reform poll - The Irish Times - Fri, Jul 09, 2010