Constitutional Court to Decide on CHP Petition

Constitutional Court President Hasim Kilic announced that the Constitutional Court will meet next Thursday to decide whether to hear the CHP's petition to annul the constitutional amendment package passed earlier this month. In the event the Constitutional Court decides to hear the appeal, Kilic said the a decision would be reached prior to the scheduled Sept. 12 referendum date. The CHP is appealing the amendments on both procedural and substantive grounds. In 2008, the Constitutional Court annulled a constitutional amendment on the headscarf on the grounds that it violated the first three unchangeable articles of Turkey's 1982 military constitution (see June 7, 2008 post).