EU awaits Venice Commission report on Turkey's charter changes

Turkey is in a process of undergoing one of its historically most important changes, as the government bids to shift from the current parliamentary system to an executive presidency through an 18-article constitutional amendment. Following the approval of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and an announcement in the Official Gazette, the Supreme Election Board (YSK) will disclose the date for the referendum, the result of which will be final and decisive. 

Turkish politics today seems to be divided into two parts: The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) are in support of the changes, while the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) are against the system shift. While the former two parties argue that the new system will introduce a more stable and dynamic governance, the latter two claim that it will only bring about one-man rule as the proposed model weakens checks and balances. 

The EU is closely following the legislative process and the ongoing debate between two opposing sides but it is refraining from outlining its position on the proposed changes. One of the major reasons is the fact that the EU regards an attempt to change governance system in a member or candidate country as a legal and politically justifiable move, as each and every country is free to choose its own model. At the end of the day, the will of the Turkish people, reflected through the ballot box, will be decisive. 

Having said that, the EU will wait for a detailed report by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, which will scrutinize in detail Turkey's constitutional amendments. However, the Commission's report is not expected to be ready before mid-March. It...