President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) determination to carry out sweeping economic and legal reforms to prepare Turkey for the 2023 elections, saying that they will start introducing new packages to the Turkish Parliament soon.
Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting on Wednesday, Erdoğan said the reform packages will include sweeping and critical changes that will prepare Turkey for 2023 onward. He noted that the party is on the verge of completing the packages, although he did not give a specific date or more details about the content of the packages.
The president had called 2021 the "year of reforms" and pledged that his party would bring about many reforms in the justice and economy fields.
Previously, AK Party introduced two judicial reform packages, which contained a host of changes, including laws covering freedom of expression, passports and the protection of children.
The judicial reforms aimed to make the judiciary "trust-ensuring, accessible" and to contribute to the country's judicial system by raising standards regarding individual rights, liberties and democracy.
The process started on May 30, 2019, when Erdoğan announced a new judicial reform to strengthen the judiciary's independence, objectivity, accountability and transparency.
The former judicial reform strategy consisted of two basic perspectives, nine targets, 63 objectives and 256 activities.
The nine targets are: protecting and improving rights and freedoms, improving judicial independence, objectivity and transparency, improving both the quality and quantity of human resources, increasing performance and productivity, enabling the right of defense to be used effectively, making justice more approachable, increasing the effectiveness of the penal justice system, simplifying civil justice and administrative procedures and lastly, popularizing alternative mediation methods.
Praising his party’s cooperation with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) at the Turkish Parliament, Erdoğan said the two countries are the "engine" of the Parliament.
Although an opposition party, the MHP cooperates with the ruling AK Party in parliamentary votes and elections under their People’s Alliance, formed ahead of the June 2018 general elections.
"If we work hard, the Parliament will be more productive. If we idle about, the Parliament operates but with much less productivity," he said.
The AK Party pioneered countless reforms throughout its rule, including the latest switch to the presidential system from a parliamentary system.
Turkish voters narrowly endorsed an executive presidency in the referendum on April 16, 2017, with 51.4% of the votes. The official transition to the new system took place when Erdoğan took his oath as president in Parliament after the June 24, 2018, election. After the March 31 local polls, opposition parties called to reevaluate the executive president system.
Even though Erdoğan said there is no plan to make a change in the new system, he opened the door for amendments, stressing that he can make an evaluation with the MHP Chairperson Devlet Bahçeli.
The president criticized the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for having no concrete vision.
"The people will not vote for an opposition party whose only pledge is to bring down Tayyip Erdoğan," the president said, adding that he is confident that he will win the 2023 elections.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan also criticized CHP executives for concealing harassment, rape and other allegations among party members and insulting government officials.
"We see it as a waste of our breath to spend time on responding to the CHP chair and his followers," the president said, as he urged governors and district governors to file lawsuits against a former CHP lawmaker for calling them "militants."
The "militant" debate emerged after former CHP lawmaker Berhan Şimşek said all governors and district governors were militants.
CHP Chair Kılıçdaroğlu defended Şimşek and agreed with him.
"The Interior Ministry sends a message to governor’s offices and tells them to file a lawsuit. You’re a coward if you do not file a lawsuit. You’re all militants. You are all militants of corruption and immorality," Kılıçdaroğlu had said.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan also criticized the CHP for demanding early elections.
"You will wait at the door until 2023 if you have patience," Erdoğan said, adding that the AK Party has much work to do until then.
Last week, Erdoğan dismissed the possibility of holding early elections, as he reiterated once again that such claims are nothing but speculation.