Constitutional reform creates deep divisions

ANKARA, (Reuters) and (USA Sabah)-
While there is consensus in Turkey that changes are needed to a constitution written under military rule in the 1980s, the reforms to overhaul the courts have exacerbated deep divisions.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan says they bring the charter into line with Europe -- an argument he also used in paring back the influence of the generals over government.
A Muslim democracy with a growing economic clout, Turkey occupies a key geostrategic position between Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East so the outcome has broad implications
"This is going to shape the type of democracy we will have in Turkey," said Sinan Ulgen, from the Istanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies think tank
"Much of Turkey's soft power and influence in the region stems from the fact that it is a working Muslim democracy." The referendum is also being watched as a barometer of support for Erdogan ahead of elections set for 2011.
The reforms concern the make-up and workings of the Constitutional Court, Turkey's highest court, and the High Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HYSK), a state body charged with appointing magistrates.
Experts agree the judiciary needs changes to adapt the authoritarian state founded in 1923 to Europe's values "In Europe the judiciary is the protector and guarantor of individual rights. In Turkey, it sees itself as the guardian of the state and always sides with the state against individual rights," said Ergun Ozbudun, a constitutional law expert.
It was also reported before that the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Catherine Ashton and EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle, support constitutional changes in Turkey. They declared their position related to amendments saying the current Constitution (package) is mostly in line with EU expectations.