Turkish constitutional commission debates equality

A subgroup of Parliament’s constitutional commission reached an agreement on the wording of only several sentences yesterday after five hours of discussion on the provision on “equality,” Hürriyet Daily News has learned.

“All individuals are equal before the law. No one is entitled to privileges. Positive discrimination concerning women, children, the elderly and handicapped people are outside the scope of this provision,” said the text on which the representatives of the four parties agreed. 

The paragraph comprises only a part of the “equality” provision and the debate on the issue was scheduled to resume tomorrow. 

The session was deadlocked when the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) insisted on explicitly including an expression against discrimination on the basis of “sexual orientation,” a proposal aimed at introducing constitutional protection for gay people. 

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) backed the proposal, but the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) rejected it. Speaking after the meeting, the BDP’s Sırrı Süreyya Önder said the party would insist on the clause.