“Erdoğan’s Parliamantarian Immunity Will End on August 15"

bianet interviewed Ertuğrul Yalçınbayır, one of AKP's Co-Founders, a lawyer, deputy and former AKP Vice Chairman, regarding the judicial procedures after Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's election as president and the future of AKP.  

Yalçınbayır said that Erdoğan’s parliamentarian immunity will end on August 15 as his duties as party chairman, deputy and prime minister will end officially after the ultimate announcement of his presidency by Turkey's Supreme Board of Elections (YSK). 

Erdoğan’s last day as deputy: August 15

Some of the highlights from the interview are as follows: 

“The winner of presidential elections is Erdoğan but he will be declared as president on August 15, 2014. After the declaration, all judicial processes will begin as well. 

“After his declaration as president by YSK, the ruling will be sent to the Parliament. And there they have to clear him out of deputy listings according to the Constitution. He will be outlisted from his party. Therefore, his prime minister post will also end. 

“This means that he won't be able to join parliamentary session and party unions. He will have nothing to do with his party. 

“After August 15, Erdoğan's parliamentarian immunity will be removed as well. According to the Constitution, presidents don't have such privildges.  

“Erdoğan and Gül complete each other"

“Gül, on the other, will be in the new cabinet as foreign minister or deputy prime minister. This way, he will wipe out worries that the party will go into dissolution.

“Because Erdoğan and Gül complete each other. When did Gül ever return a law when Erdoğan was prime minister or take it to the Constitutional Court? In what way, has he returned laws as a part of his duty?

“These are all complementary. They will be doing the same thing from now on again."

“You can't wear three hats in one head”

“Turkey's political climate is not rich and virtous enough to handle a presidential system. Because legislation is not strong enough, neither justice. You give all power to the president, you can't wear three hats in one head. 

“Erdoğan will take off his party chairman hat on August 15. Then he will have to do so for legislation and execution. He has to do what Constitution has ordered for him. 

“Turkey's democracy is constitutional. There can be discourse about leaving it behind but doing so will definitely violate the Constitution.” (EKN/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish