ISTANBUL // Turkey will begin writing its sixth constitution today - marking the first time the country has taken up the task outside imperial rule, wartime conditions or the shadows of a military coup.
Turkey's current constitution was drawn up under military rule in 1982, two years after a coup, and is widely considered unsuitable because of the restrictions it has imposed on basic rights such as free speech. After winning a referendum on constitutional changes last year, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, promised to make the new constitution the centrepiece of the legislative term that began after June elections.
As Turkey prepared to tackle the historic task, Mr Erdogan drew attention to the wider significance of the project in a region shaken by the Arab Spring. Speaking at a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) this week, he said Turks wanted their country to become an "advanced democracy".
But the AKP, which won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in June with almost 50 per cent of the vote, was not just representing Turkey, Mr Erdogan said, according to a transcript of his speech posted on the AKP's website yesterday.
"The AKP is not just Turkey's party, but a world party," Mr Erdogan said. "From Mogadishu to Sarajevo, from Damascus to Skopje, from Sanaa to Bishkek, from Abu Dhabi to Islamabad, from Gaza to Benghazi, from Pristina to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - wherever there is a victim in the world, the AKP is at his side," the prime minister said. "This is the kind of party we are."
An "agreement commission", made up by three members of each of the four parties represented in parliament and presided over by Cemil Cicek, the parliamentary speaker, would convene for its inaugural meeting today. Mr Erdogan said last week he hoped work on a new basic law could be wrapped up within a year.
Observers inside and outside the country have named Turkey as a model for countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Libya that have shaken off dictatorships in uprisings this year. Hundreds of millions of people in the region followed Turkey's elections, Mr Erdogan said in his speech. "Everybody who works for the AKP deeply feels that great responsibility."
At today's talks, AKP representatives will be joined by politicians from three opposition parties: the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Party for Peace and Democracy (BDP), Turkey's main Kurdish party.
The EU, which Turkey has hopes of joining, applauded a new constitution as a chance to advance democratic principles and to address problems such as the Kurdish conflict, but said all views on the subject should be heard.
"Due attention needs to be paid to ensuring the broadest possible consultation in this work, involving all political parties and civil society," the EU said in a report last week.
In the run-up to the talks, critics voiced concerns that the AKP could try to steamroll other parties, but Mr Erdogan said his party would aim for a broad consensus.
"If we talk about democracy, we cannot allow a minority to dominate over the majority," he told his party members, referring to the AKP's majority in parliament, where it controls 327 of 550 seats. "But I also want to underline that we want to protect the rights of minorities."
Mithat Sancar, a law professor at Ankara University, said the AKP's decision to accept equal representation on the commission, as well as the decision to include the BDP even though it has been accused of ties to the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), were "hopeful signs".
But, Prof Sancar said there were questions about how the new constitution would be written. "Will it be just parliament that is involved? How will civil society be integrated in the process? They have to talk about the method first," he said.
Mr Erdogan's personal agenda has also been questioned. Some critics have said the prime minister would try to use the constitutional talks to propose a switch from Turkey's current parliamentary system to an American or French-style presidential one.
His preference for a presidential system was widely known, but the prime minister has not said whether he wants to push the issue during the talks. "The public does not know what is on Erdogan's mind," Prof Sancar said.
Even before the talks, some points on contention between the parties have emerged. The CHP, which was established by modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, wanted to preserve the first articles of the current constitution, which defined Turkey as a secular republic and said the country was committed to "Ataturk nationalism".
But Mr Erdogan stressed in his speech that the talks should be held without any preconditions.
tseibert@thenational.ae
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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Company%20profile
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Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
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Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
