Move Launched For Constitutional Amendment In The Judiciary

Speaking at a press briefing held today, Supreme Court President Bertan Özerdağ and Bar Association President Hasan Esendağlı announced that they have prepared a proposal for a constitutional amendment to introduce structural improvements to the judicial system. Özerdağ said the work carried out within this framework has been shared with political parties both inside and outside parliament.

The main justification for the planned amendment was described as easing the increasing workload of the judiciary. In this context, the proposal aims to restructure the Supreme Court of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to consist of one president and ten judges, and to transform the current two-tier judicial system into a three-tier structure.

According to Özerdağ’s assessment, if the proposed arrangement is implemented, case proceedings would operate in a more balanced manner and the burden on the higher judiciary would be reduced. In this regard, submitting the constitutional amendment to a public vote is also on the agenda, with March–April 2026 being considered as possible dates for a referendum.

As part of the process, the amendment proposal is expected to be submitted to parliament first. The decision to hold a referendum and the question to be put to the public would be determined by parliament.

Özerdağ also issued several key warnings regarding the constitutional amendment process. He stressed that the referendum should not be held together with another election, and that the amendment should consist of a single article and be limited solely to judicial arrangements.

Technical Support From The Bar Association

Meanwhile, Bar Association President Hasan Esendağlı said they support the constitutional amendment package prepared by the Supreme Court, which is limited to four articles. Esendağlı underlined that the proposed regulation stems from a purely technical necessity rather than a political motive.

Stating that the public respects the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, Esendağlı argued that the requested changes are reasonable and rational, and have been prepared with the aim of improving the functioning of the judicial system.