Sit-in Protest by CHP Against State of Emergency

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After it has been announced that the motion foreseeing the extension of State of Emergency for the seventh time will be negotiated at the Parliament next Wednesday (April 18), the main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP) Central Executive Board has decided to organize sit-in protests around Turkey for the abolishment of State of Emergency.

The members of CHP will stage one-hour sit-in protests in all city centers of Turkey on April 16, the anniversary of the constitutional referendum in 2017, at 12 p.m. with the slogan "We want democracy, not state of emergency."

During the protests, which will be coordinated by Veli Ağbaba, the Deputy Chair of the CHP, a joint statement will be read out. The protests will also be supported on social media under the hashtag #OhalDeğilDemokrasi (Not state of emergency, but democracy).

The Central Executive Board has also agreed to appeal to the Constitutional Court regarding the election safety-related articles of the alliance law prepared by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and National Movement Party (MHP). The appeal will be filed in a short span of time.

"We are waiting for everyone who is on the side of democracy"

CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu has posted a video on Twitter, where she has announced that the sit-in protest in İstanbul will be held at Taksim Square on April 16 at 12 p.m.

On the video, Kaftancıoğlu has said, "On April 16, the anniversary of the referendum, which has gone down in history as 'the election without seals,' we as the Republican People's Party will stage protests entitled 'Not State of Emergency, But Democracy' in 81 cities of Turkey. We are waiting for everyone who is on the side of democracy to come to our protest in Taksim."

About the Constitutional Amendment Referendum

The referendum on the Constitutional Amendment Package was held on April 2016.
According to the non-official results, the ratio of the "Yes" votes is 51.18%, "No" votes is 48.82% in the constitutional amendment referendum. 24,325,817 electors voted "Yes", 23,201,726 electors voted "No". The voter turnout is 85.46%.

YSK's decision on the day of the referendum to consider the unsealed ballot papers valid sparked debates.

CHP Deputy Group Chair Bülent Tezcan applied to YSK on April 17 in request of the annulment of the referendum results and noted that they would also apply to the European Court of Human Right (ECtHR) after the Constitutional Court.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Vatan Party and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) applied to the YSK to annul the referendum.

The election board denied all three applications.

CHP's attorney Atilla Kart stated on April 21 "as the voting still continued, we applied to [...] the Council of the State".

Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdağ in his statement on April 22 said "No appeal can be lodged to any court/office including the Council of the State or the Constitutional Court against the decisions of the YSK".

Professor of constitutional law, İbrahim Kabaoğlu in an interview with bianet stated that YSK's decision could be challenged before the Constitutional Court and the referendum process before the ECtHR.

(PT/SD)