Bahçeli calls for new constitution talks after Eid break
ANKARA
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has called on the parliament to begin work on a new constitution after the Eid al-Adha recess.
"Coup laws must be eliminated. The need for a new constitution within the framework of a founding constitution based on national will must be accepted," he told reporters on June 6 after visiting the grave of MHP founder Alparslan Türkeş in Ankara.
Bahçeli, the closest ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, warned against foreign influence and political missteps that could deepen divisions.
“The parliament should undertake an important task after the [Eid] holiday and start work that will prepare Türkiye for the future,” he said.
Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the MHP have long criticized the existing constitution for its origins in the 1980 military coup. The path to a new charter remains challenging as the ruling bloc lacks a parliamentary quorum to advance the proposal.
The AKP recently formed a commission to work on the draft under the leadership of Erdoğan, with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz chairing the team.
Other members include party figures such as Efkan Ala, Mustafa Elitaş, Hayati Yazıcı, Ali İhsan Yavuz, Ömer Çelik, Abdullah Güler, Özlem Zengin, Muhammet Emin Akbaşoğlu, Bahadır Yenişehirlioğlu and Serap Yazıcı Özbudun.
In a May 22 statement, Erdoğan suggested he may not seek another term as the current constitution limits his eligibility.
Bahçeli responded the following day, saying Türkiye is "very much in need of Erdoğan, the architect of the new century's roadmap." He previously suggested constitutional amendments to allow Erdoğan to run for office in the next elections.
In his June 6 remarks, Bahçeli also proposed overhauling the political parties law, the electoral system and parliamentary procedures.
He marked the holiday by backing a new government initiative dubbed "terror-free Türkiye," calling it a turning point. "This holiday should be considered ... beyond the periods that dragged us into darkness in the past. All political parties should embrace such a process," he said.
The peace push has included steps leading to PKK's move to dissolve and lay down arms, which Bahçeli praised as a significant development.
