Turkey: The Opposition Argument Against the Referendum

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu recently published a public letter explaining why he and his party oppose the upcoming constitutional referendum in Turkey. According to Kılıçdaroğlu, the new constitutional amendments will (1) destroy the separations of powers necessary for liberal democracy by making the judiciary dependent on the executive branch; (2) impede the freedom of expression by lumping all 26 proposed reforms together as a single yes or no ballot issue; (3) give the Ministry of Justice further control over the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors, a move the Council of Europe has specifically criticized; (4) leave significant controversial sections of the 1982 constitutions untouched; (5) and further empower AKP to suppress opposition parties and critical media outlets in Turkey.