Ankara Mayor Criticizes Turkey's 'Framework Law,' Citing Erosion of Democracy
Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş criticized Turkey's "framework law," passed by the Justice Commission, which is set to be debated in parliament.
- Yavaş argued that Turkey needs broad societal consensus, not closed-door agreements, and that true peace requires justice and trust.
- He expressed concern over the treatment of elected officials and the perceived erosion of democracy and rule of law in the country.
Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş has broken his silence on Turkey's controversial "framework law," officially titled the "Law Proposal for Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Cohesion." The legislation, which passed the Justice Commission of the Grand National Assembly, is scheduled for debate in the general assembly.
Turkey's need is not for agreements behind closed doors, but for a grand societal consensus built before the nation.
Yavaş voiced strong criticism of the law, stating that "Turkey's need is not for agreements behind closed doors, but for a grand societal consensus built before the nation." He emphasized that genuine peace is founded on justice, law, and trust, not merely on the passage of a single law. The mayor highlighted that Turkey's most significant issue is the severe damage to citizens' trust in the state and the judiciary.
Who would not want a country where the problems Turkey has carried for years are solved through democratic means; where weapons are completely silenced, where people are not divided because of their identities and thoughts, and where everyone feels like an equal citizen? Who can oppose peace? Who can object to brotherhood, harmony, and freedom?
His remarks come amid a period where he claims elected officials, particularly from CHP municipalities, are treated as guilty even before judicial processes are complete. Yavaş decried the practice of sending mayors to prisons far from their cities, often under harsh isolation conditions, describing it as "oppressive." He pointed to the questioning of Constitutional Court decisions, the non-application of European Court of Human Rights rulings, and the removal of elected officials through court decisions and trustee appointments as evidence of democratic backsliding.
However, true peace is not established merely by passing a law. The foundation of peace is justice, law, and trust. Today, Turkey's biggest problem is the severe damage to the citizen's trust in the state and justice.
"Democracy is for everyone, or it is not democracy. Law is for everyone, or it is not law. Freedom is for everyone, or it is not freedom," Yavaş declared, arguing that pursuing political opponents through legal means while promising law to one segment of society and subjecting another to lawlessness will not bring true peace. He also noted that legal experts have raised significant constitutional objections to the framework law, suggesting it was passed without adequate societal discussion.
Democracy is for everyone, or it is not democracy. Law is for everyone, or it is not law. Freedom is for everyone, or it is not freedom.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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