Turkish parliament approves bill restructuring top court

A bill proposing to change the structure of the Constitutional Court became law after being approved this week in Parliament's General Assembly.

The changes to the structure of the court have been made as part of a constitutional reform package that was approved in a referendum on Sept. 12, 2010. The bill was passed in Parliament with 250 votes in favor and 55 against.

According to the new law, members of the Constitutional Court will be elected for 12 years and cannot serve a second term. The court will operate in a general council and two other chambers. The general council will hear cases for which the Constitutional Court is responsible, while the chambers will consider individual applications.

The general council and the chambers will issue decisions on the basis of an absolute majority.

Every citizen will have the right to individually apply to the court on claims that their basic rights and freedoms have been violated after all domestic legal remedies have been exhausted. The law also paves the way for requesting reconsideration of Constitutional Court rulings over party closure cases.


/World Bulletin/