PARLIAMENT SET TO RECONSIDER CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE

BAYKAL: “THE AMENDMENT PACKAGE IS GENERAL, NOT SUBJECTIVE”

Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday defended a recently vetoed constitutional amendment package, saying that its provisions were general in nature, not subjective. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer last week vetoed the bill proposing changes to Articles 67, 76 and 78 of the Constitution, arguing that it was meant to benefit just one individual, meaning Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader who would gain eligibility to hold public office under its provisions. “We deeply respect Sezer, and feel that his presidency is a safeguard to the nation,” said Baykal. “However, the package in question is in fact objective and general. On the contrary, trying to block such an objective, general law would be overly subjective.”