Turkey's opposition proposes Venice Commission criteria for party closures

Duvar English

Six of Turkey's opposition parties have come to an agreement on adopting the criteria of the Venice Commission with regards to party closures, the daily Cumhuriyet reported on Oct. 21. 

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Good (İYİ) Party, Felicity Party, Democrat Party (DP), former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's Future Party and former Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan's Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) have been meeting with the aim of reinstating a strengthened parliamentary system.

During the fourth meeting on Oct. 20, the parties agreed on "implementing barriers to party closures" and "adopting the guiding principles created by the Venice Commission." 

The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe. It is composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law.

The Venice Commission mandates that party closures are conducted "only if necessary in a democratic society where there is solid evidence that the party in question is threatening democracy and basic freedoms." 

All party closure petitions are required to prove that the party in question is a real threat to the democratic and free political system and this ruling must come from the Constitutional Court or an equal, according to the Venice Commission criteria. 

The opposition also proposed that all political parties and candidates are transparent with the public about the funding of their election campaigns.