Constitutional Court elects new president

The Constitutional Court has elected its new president. Deputy President Kadir Özkaya, who received the votes of 9 out of 15 members, has become the new head of the top court.

The current president, Zühtü Arslan, will complete his term on April 20.

Özkaya will serve until December 18, 2026, when his 12-year tenure as a member of the Constitutional Court will come to an end. Özkaya was appointed to the high court by President Recep Erdoğan on December 18, 2014.

Özkaya was elected as the Deputy President of the Constitutional Court during the General Assembly meeting held on April 12, 2020. He has also been serving as the head of the Second Chamber since April 4, 2020.

Özkaya is among the 9 members of the Constitutional Court who voted for a "violation of rights" verdict in the case of Can Atalay, whom the courts refused to release from prison despite his election as an MP in the 2023 election. This verdict led to a crisis between the Constitutional Court and the Court of Cassation, the two highest judicial bodies of the country, as the latter defied the verdict. Eventually, Atalay was stripped of his MP status due to the sentence he received in the Gezi Park case despite the Constitutional Court ruling.

President Erdoğan and his ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), frequently criticize the high court for its decisions on human rights violations. Particularly, the MHP advocates for the abolishment or restructuring of the court. However, out of the 15 members of the court, 7 were appointed by Erdoğan, and 3 were appointed by the parliament, where the AKP and MHP hold the majority. (RT/VK)