Islamization Watch: Turkey seeks constitutional changes to get into EU / to curb the powers of the judiciary

Erdogan's argument is that he wants to get rid of military rule so that his country would be more liberal (to adhere to a blueprint to enter the already Islamitized E.U.), but the reality is he is attempting to overthrow Turkey's military that keeps the country from becoming a religious state... a situation that appears to be already in effect through precedent in the culture of Turkish society as of late.

By Turkey read Erdogan ~ seeks to change the constitution ~ something he has described as being like a rag with holes in it - all to get into the EU. EU ~ PU this guy wants an Islamic state ~ and two things stand in his way the military and the judiciary and oh.. that darn constitution. To propose such a change he has to evoke the EU ~ the last time he was dragged into court for his Islamizing efforts and alterations to the constitution ~ he was fined and warned ~ but it was only as a result EU pressure that he did not lose his position as Prime Minister. Now he is back with a vengeance. In his sights the very institutions that guard secularism.

Turkey's Islamist-rooted government says constitutional changes are necessary to curb the powers of the country's judiciary. The proposed reforms have fueled fears of an Islamist takeover.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) says new legal reforms are essential for bringing the country's political system in line with the criteria for joining the European Union. But Turkey's secularists see the changes as part of an AKP plan to move the country closer to Islamic fundamentalism.

Senior judges have been quick to respond to the plans, calling the proposed reforms unconstitutional and accusing the government of using liberal reform ideas as a cover for the encroachment of religious rule.

The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals Hasan Gerceker told Turkey's NTV television news network that "the government should avoid actions that could damage the principles of separation of powers and independence of the judiciary."

Another judge, Kadir Ozbek, head of the Supreme Board of Judges and prosecutors, which appoints senior members of the courts, said the government wanted to change both the composition of the Supreme Board and the way judges were appointed.

The AKP narrowly survived a court attempt in 2008 to close it down on the grounds that it contravened the country's secular constitution.

The AKP also wants to make it harder to ban political parties and curb the influence of the military, a bastion of Turkish secularism.

The government has begun lobbying opposition parties for support and has warned that it could hold a referendum to push through reforms if it cannot muster the two-thirds majority needed for parliamentary approval of constitutional changes.

The AKP dominates parliament, but its majority falls short of the 376 votes necessary for unilaterally amending the constitution.

via islamizationwatch.blogspot.com