3 Articles of Constitutional Amendment Package Expected to Enter into Force

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

The unofficial results of the referendum on the constitutional amendment indicate a lead for the "Yes" vote.

According to the unofficial results published by the state-run Anadolu Agency, ratio of the "Yes" votes is 51.18%, "No" votes is 48.82% as of 9:30 a.m. 24,325,817 electors voted "Yes", 23,201,726 electors voted "No". The voter turnout is 85.46%.

Most of the 18 articles of the Constitutional Amendment Package will enter force on March 3, 2019 when the general and presidential elections will be held simultaneously.

Yet three articles of the package can enter into force instantly. These articles concern membership of the President to a political party, the reorganization of the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK)as well as abolishing military justice system.

According to these articles

* The President can exercise her/his right to be the member of a political party. According to the Law on Political Parties, a congress must gather for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to be the chairperson of the party.

* The council will operate under the presidency of the Minister of Justice and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice will be an ordinary member of the council. Four of the council members will be elected by the President and seven members by the Parliament.

* No military courts will be established except disciplinary courts. Yet in state of war, military courts can be established in order to rule in issues regarding crimes committed by military personnel with regards to their missions. (NV/DG)