Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.12
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
The Constitution Commission of the Turkish parliament has adopted a package of measures for democratisation, Turkish Milliyet newspaper reported on Feb.12.
Previously on Sept. 30, 2013, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the new package of measures.
All political parties in Turkey will move to a system of two chairmen, meaning two will lead the parties, according to the new package.
Moreover, Prime Minister said that during the election campaign, parties may use not only Turkish, but also other languages spoken in the country. A term of imprisonment for crimes motivated by racial hatred will be increased by three years to eliminate inter-ethnic conflict in the country, according to the new measures.
The democratisation package also envisages lifting the ban on hijab headscarves in Turkish state organisations, except for the Armed Forces.
The package of measures was ambiguously perceived by Turkish opposition. In particular, Turkish Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli said it does not take into account the rights of the Turkish people and it is detrimental to the interests of the people and contrary to the country's interests.
Translated by L.Z.
Edited by S.M.