The parliament has passed law granting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan authority to promote military officers ahead of schedule.
Law No. 2/3119, an omnibus bill including amendments to 33 laws and decrees encompassing a wide range of issues, was passed late on Jun 18 with votes from President Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
One of the most contested provisions of the bill, article 3, allows the president to alter mandatory waiting periods for promotions among military and police forces.
Earlier drafts included a more controversial clause allowing Erdoğan to directly dismiss officers in the rank of lieutenant or higher, but that provision was withdrawn after backlash.
Criticism from opposition
MP Ayyüce Türkeş Taş of the Good (İYİ) Party criticized the lack of objective standards in the new clause. She said the president’s power to “extend or shorten waiting periods without concrete criteria” violates the law.
“This bill stems from the desire to quickly redesign the officer, general and admiral corps based on political preferences,” she added, warning that it risks eroding merit-based promotion and undermining trust between the military and society.
MP Selçuk Türkoğlu from the same party argued that the article “amounts to an attempt to effectively annul the Constitution.”
He warned the changes could “undermine institutional integrity, merit-based promotions, and the trust bond between the army and the public.”
'Violating the Constitution'
Tahsin Becan of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) criticized parliament’s handling, noting the bill bypassed consultation with the National Defense Commission.
“After the Constitutional Court annulled the decree-law, the same provisions were reintroduced into law, violating the Constitution again,” he asserted, referring to a 2023 Constitutional Court ruling annulling a statutory decree containing similar provisions about the promotion of officers.
Becan argued this effectively disregards the military’s personnel system and the experience of career officers. (AEK/VK)
