Chief Advisor to the President Mehmet Uçum: There can be no new constitution without a referendum

Chief Advisor to the President, Mehmet Uçum, recently reacted to the claim that the new constitutional studies were "being requested for Erdoğan's candidacy," stating that "Erdoğan could be a candidate once again if a decision is made to hold early elections."

Uçum responded to another statement regarding the new constitutional work in a post he shared on his social media account today.

✔️SUNDAY ARTICLE ATTEMPTS TO DISTORT THE NEW CONSTITUTIONAL AGENDA (4)In this series, we will finally focus on the claim that "the people have no constitutional agenda." This claim is not only a distortion but also indicates intellectual inadequacy.The Constitutional Nature of the People's Demands!The routine of democracies...

— Mehmet Uçum (@mehmetucum) July 20, 2025

Criticizing the view expressed by opposition parties that "the people's agenda is not a new constitution," Uçum argued that this was a "superficial determination."

Uçum, who defends the view that a referendum is a necessity for a new constitution, explained his view by saying, "The first reason is the necessity of completing democratic legitimacy with the approval of the people, the fundamental founding will. The second reason is the people's right to oversee whether a legal text that aligns with the people's vision of a political constitution has been adopted by Parliament."

Chief Advisor to the President, Uçum, noted the following regarding the new constitution:

Finally, in this series, we will focus on the claim that "the people have no constitutional agenda." This claim is not only a distortion but also indicates an intellectual inadequacy. The Constitutional Nature of the People's Demands! In the routine functioning of democracies, the people do not express their expectations regarding the constitution in legal terms. To determine the people's constitutional demands, the legal equivalent of all their political, economic, cultural, and justice-related visions for change or development must be examined.

If laws or secondary legislation prove inadequate to meet the public's expectations for betterment in the system, the need for constitutional norms arises. This, in turn, must be understood as the public's demand for a constitution. In other words, the task of democratic politics is to translate the public's desire for a more just and well-functioning order—regardless of the specific issue—into the need for constitutional change, especially in terms of demands that cannot be met by sub-constitutional norms. This is the essence of the matter.

The Relationship Between the Concrete Demands of the People and the Constitution!

If the public's expectation regarding the solution of general and current problems requires advanced rules and improved institutions, some of these emerge as a demand for a constitution due to the level of norms.

For example, the public's expectation of a price ceiling when necessary to combat high prices should be considered a constitutional demand. Public demands regarding the right to a decent and decent life can be embodied by including such a right in the constitution.

Similarly, the public's wish that no one face financial hardship could be translated into constitutional guarantees such as minimum living support or the right to a minimum income. The public's desire to empower voters to have greater influence in parliamentary election processes could be a constitutional rule and institution that includes the right to recall.

The public's desire for greater engagement in legislative processes can be considered a demand for the right and authority to propose laws, which should be enshrined in the constitution. Numerous examples can be cited for every area. As can be seen, the view that "there is no demand for a new constitution on the public's agenda" is a superficial, factually incorrect assessment that ignores the revolutionary dynamic and future perspective of the public's demands.

Political Constitution and Legal Constitution!

Therefore, the new constitution is actually the basic need created by the people's constant and general vision of a better system.

For this reason, a distinction is made between a political constitution and a legal constitution. A political constitution is one that reflects the people's vision of the system and order, as well as their demands and needs for a better future.

It is possible to see the elements of the political constitution more clearly in the programs of those who engage in 'demand politics' among the political parties that are the democratic and legitimate representatives of the people.

If the political constitution put forward by the people is legally translated and accepted as a holistic law by the Assembly consisting of the people's representatives and comes into force with the people's approval, a new constitution becomes a legal matter.

The Relation Between the People's New Constitution Agenda and the Referendum!

In a democratic order, as long as the people consistently desire better outcomes for the system, and this has always been the case, a new constitution will always be the people's normal and dynamic agenda. Therefore, Parliament, as the representative constituent will, must draft the new constitution taking into account the people's permanent constitutional agenda and the necessity of obtaining approval from the people, the primary constituent will.

Because the people can only show the harmony between the constitution they envision and the new constitution approved by the Parliament by giving their approval.

Even if the new constitution is approved by 400 or more votes in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, there are two main reasons why a referendum is necessary:

The first reason is the necessity of completing democratic legitimacy with the approval of the people, which is the primary founding will.

The second reason is the necessity of the people's right to monitor whether a legal text that is in line with the people's vision of a political constitution has been adopted by the Parliament.

"Final word: There can be no new constitution without a referendum."