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Turkish lawmakers
adopted on Jan. 15 new articles in a contentious constitutional reform package
that will pave the way for structural reforms in the nation’s highest judicial
body, regulate the annual budget and usher in a new government system.
A total of 483 of 550 deputies participated in the first two secret ballot sessions in Parliament’s General Assembly, as well as 482 in the last voting session.
Article 14 was approved with 341 votes, while 133 MPs voted against the motion, four cast blank votes, four cast invalid votes and one abstained. Article 15 was approved with 341 votes, while 134 MPs voted against the motion, five cast blank votes, two cast invalid votes and one abstained.
Article 16 was again approved by 341, while 134 MPs voted against the motion, three cast blank votes, three cast invalid votes and one abstained.
Article 14 will revamp the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), which currently has 22 regular and 12 substitute members. Under the new regulation, however, the new council will be renamed the Judges and Prosecutors’ Council and will have just 13 members. The council will theoretically retain its independence and its own budget, while the justice minister will chair the body.
Three members will be elected by the country’s president while the remaining members will be elected parliament.
Elections to the council will be held every four years and members can be re-elected.
Separately in Article 15, the expenditures of public entities will be made in accordance with the annual budget.
The country’s president will be required to submit a budget proposal to parliament at least 75 days before the start of the fiscal year. The proposal will subsequently be discussed by parliament’s budget commission.
Some details about the new governance system’s practices were also accepted in Article 16 of the proposal.
Two more amendments are slated to be voted on in the evening of Jan. 15.
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