Preamble – Summary of the Joint Policies Protocol by  the Nation Alliance—Part I

Date:31Jan2023

Translated  by Google Translate and Atilla Yesilada, annotations by Atilla Yesilada.  Excludes chapters on Sectoral Policies, Social Policy, Women and Family, Technology and Innovation.  It covers the summary of section 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9

This is an attempt by the interpreter to make the 245 page Joint Policies Protocol of the six opposition parties, called the Nation Alliance,  accessible to English speaking academics, diplomats and policy makers. The document  will also serve as the campaign plank of the soon-to-be-nominated joint presidential candidate and as coalition protocol,  if Nation Alliance  were to win elections in May 2023.

INTRODUCTION

As six political parties representing our nation in the widest spectrum (Nation Alliance consisting of CHP, IYIP, DEVA P, Gelecek P, SP, DP)  we have reached a new stage in our joint efforts to overcome the deepest administrative and economic crisis in the history of the Republic.

Hereby we announce to the public our “Joint  Policies Protocol”, which includes the targets, policies and projects we have agreed upon to promote the  interest of our nation in the main policy areas.

Our Joint Policies Protocol  is comprised of

(1) law, justice, judiciary,

(2) public administration,

(3) anti-corruption, transparency and audit,

(4) economy, finance and employment,

(5) science, R&D, innovation, entrepreneurship and digital transformation,

(6) sectoral policies,

(7) education and training,

(8) social policies, and

(9) foreign policy, defense, security and migration,

under 75 sub-headings under 9 main headings.

The “Joint Policies Protocol” will form the backbone of our jointly-nominated presidential candidate’s Election Manifesto and the Government Program to be implemented after the elections, which we undertake to support as six signatories.

A summary of the concrete steps to be taken under 9 main headings is given below, and detailed steps are included in the main text.

LAW, JUSTICE AND JUDICIARY

• We will transition to the Strengthened Parliamentary System for a strong, liberal, democratic and fair system in which separation of powers is established through an effective and pluralist legislature, a rule-based, transparent and accountable executive, an independent and impartial judiciary.
• We will immediately implement the constitutional and legal changes that need to be made in order to move our nation to the Strengthened Parliamentary System.
• We will ensure that general meetings in the Grand Assembly, the agenda of which is determined by the opposition, will be opened for at least 20 days in a legislative year.
• We will redefine the concepts of state secret and trade secret in a way that does not hinder the Parliament’s powers of obtaining information and supervision.
• We will constitutionally guarantee that the authority to withdraw from international treaties and conventions rests with the Grand Assembly.
• We will establish a Final Accounts Committee[1], whose chairman is elected from among the main opposition deputies in the Grand
• We will abolish the veto power granted over the laws and grant the President only the “power to send back” the bill for reconsideration.
• We will end the President’s authority to issue executive decrees.
• We will make the President’s Office where one person can be elected only once for a term of 7 years. S(he) will resign her party after being elected, and shall not be able to return to active politics after his presidential term.
• We will ensure that the name of the new Prime Minister is included in the motions of no confidence against the Prime Minister or the entire Council of Ministers; and that the motion is signed by an absolute majority of the members of the Grand Assembly.
• We will rescind all extant emergency decrees and reduce the duration of the state of emergency from six to two months.
• We will divide the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors, as the Council of Judges and the Council of Prosecutors[2].
• We will put an end to the multiple bar[3] system.
• We will upgrade the status of the Court of Accounts to a supreme court in the Constitution, and expand the scope of its audit to include all public institutions and organizations.
• We will take the necessary measures to meticulously implement the principle of exception to detention[4].
• We will strengthen the freedoms of thought, opinion and expression.
• We will safeguard freedom of the press and restructure TRT[5] and Anadolu Agency[6] to ensure independence and impartiality.
• We will end vague and arbitrary restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly.
• We will ensure that an equal, fair and transparent procedure is applied to non-governmental organizations applying to benefit from supports such as tax exemptions.
• We will resolve the grievances arising from the Emergency Decrees (passed after 2016 July aborted coup).
• We will reduce the national qualification threshold for parties to send members to the Grand Assembly to 3% (From the current 7%).
• We will create an overseas constituency for the direct representation of our citizens abroad with a maximum of 15 deputies in the Parliament.
• We will ensure that the political parties that received at least 1% of the national vote in the last parliamentary general election will benefit from Treasury aid.
• We will make the prior authorization of the Grand Assembly mandatory in filing of lawsuits regarding the closure of political parties.
• We will require public disclosure of donations over a certain amount to political parties and candidates, and all campaign expenditures made during election periods.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

• We will abolish numerous advisory boards and councils within the Office of the Presidency and transfer their duties and authorities to the relevant ministries and institutions.
• We will close Turkey Wealth Fund.
• We will restructure ministries in line with our goal of green and digital transformation and inclusion.
• We will establish a Strategy and Planning Agency[7].
• We will abolish deputy ministers to be replaced with the  former undersecretariat system.
• We will put an end to the practice of the Ministry of Interior to replace mayors with administrators; a practice that violates the right to vote and be elected in local governments.
• We will increase the share of municipalities from general budget tax revenues, will consider the contribution of provinces to production and exports in determining the shares, as well as the population difference and irregular migration between summer and winter and day and night.
• We will enact a Basic Law for district alderman (Muhtar).
• We will restore legal status to villages that were converted into neighborhoods of cities by the Metropolitan Law.
• We will establish a State Personnel Office– to coordinate and oversee staffing in civil service.
• We will put an end to the practice of oral interviews, and ensure that civil servants are recruited according to their score in the written Centralized Civil Service Qualification exam (KPSS).
• We will increase the number of KPSS exams per year, abolishing entry charges.
• We will not allow the primary and permanent duties required by public agencies to be carried out by subcontractors- ends outsourcing of state services.

ANTI-CORRUPTION, TRANSPARENCY AND  STATE AUDITS

• We will establish a “Corruption Investigation Commission” in the Grand Assembly.
• We will repatriate gains obtained from corruption and smuggled abroad, and to properly go after illegitimate wealth, establish the “Office for the Recovery of Assets”.
• We will strengthen the financial resources, personnel and IT infrastructure of the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK, Turkey’s version of OFAC), and ensure that it has administrative autonomy in its work.
• We will fully comply with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards and remove our country from the “grey list”.
• We will promptly publish the list of tax havens and countries at risk for money laundering.
• We will prevent the use of tax and wealth amnesties as a money laundering venue.
• We will amend the Public Procurement Law No. 4734 in accordance with the European Union norms.
• We will increase the punishment of public officials who violate the right to information, as well as make the culprits liable for financial damages.
• We will transparently publish Treasury (loan) guarantees and other conditional obligations arising from Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects.
• We will make it mandatory for TURKSTAT statistics to be regularly checked for quality and reliability by commissions of academics and experts.
• We will enact the Political Ethics Law, establish a Political Ethics Committee under the aegis of Grand Assembly, and mandate the establishment of political ethics committees in political parties that have groups (20 MPs or more).

ECONOMY, FINANCE AND EMPLOYMENT

• We will permanently lower inflation to low single digits in two years.
• We will restore prestige and stability to the Turkish lira.
• We will raise average  GDP growth rate to 5 percent.
• At the end of five years, we will at least double our per capita income in dollars.
• In five years, we will create at least 5 million additional jobs that provide qualified and decent income, and we will reduce unemployment to a single digit.
• We will permanently end the extreme poverty that has become the scourge of the nation after 2018.
• We will put an end to policies that enable unjust income and wealth transfer and rent collection, and strive for a fair and equitable distribution of income among individuals, households and regions.
• At the end of five years, we will increase our annual exports to 600 billion dollars, the kilogram value of exports to over 2 dollars, as well doubling the share of high-tech exports.
• With our sectoral[8] policies targeting efficiency, high added value and competitiveness, we will reduce import dependency and moderate external imbalances to a sustainable level.
• We will not impose responsibilities on the Central Bank other than ensuring price and financial stability.
• We will pass legislation to amend the Central Bank law concerning its basic duties, instrument[9] independence and senior appointments; so that can amendments can be made by qualified majority in the Parliament.
• We will abolish the Price Stability Committee, which has no functionality beyond interfering with the independence of the Central Bank and conflicts with its authority.
• We will diligently investigate (the presumed, alleged) non-transparent and fraudulent sales of the Central Bank’s FX reserves and try to recover losses stemming from irregularities and corruption.
• As soon as we come to power, we will wind down the Currency Protected Deposit accounts, closing all at maturity.
• We will put an end to all unnecessary expenditures by the Presidential Office and other organs of the state.
• We will reduce the number of aircraft used by the Presidency.
• We will implement a “Fiscal Rule” in order to make fiscal discipline permanent and increase predictability.
• We will use public resources not for White Elephant projects such as “Canal Istanbul”, but for agricultural irrigation projects, especially those within the scope of South East Anatolia Project (GAP), East Anatolia Project (DAP), Konya Plain Project (KOP) and East Black Sea Project (DOKAP).
• We will ensure that the state does not enter into contracts in foreign currency, except in extraordinary circumstances.
• We will expand the scope of incomes subject to declaration, thus establishing a tax structure that reduces the weight of indirect taxes.
• We will reduce the income tax and insurance premium burden on employees.
• We will present the government’s Tax Expenditures Report[10] to the Grand Assembly together with the Central Government Budget Bill.
• We will zero the withholding tax on workplace rental payments.
• We will not charge a real estate tax[11] for the first time housing purchase.
• We will reduce VAT for all kinds of educational and training services.
• We will not charge SCT[12] for the renewal of the drivers’ vehicles over the age of 10.
• We will review other regulations regarding value increase share and zoning rents, and tax urban rents comprehensively and effectively.
• We will cease tax auditing as a tool to exert political pressure on the business world.

We will put an end to tax amnesty, which has no economic and technical justification, and especially to tax base increase and asset peace practices.

• We will take necessary measures, including withholding tax from payments made to Tax Havens.
• We will fight against informal employment, reducing it below the OECD average, and use the social security revenues obtained from this process to support the most vulnerable segments of society.
• We will use all national and international legal remedies for PPP projects in which irregularities and corruption are detected, and if necessary, resort to international arbitration; as well as initiating legal proceedings against contractors, their partners and shareholders, to ensure that damages are collected.
• We will encourage holding of capital markets assets across the population and direct long-term savings especially to companies for the realization of sustainable development goals.
• We will investigate diligently any accusations of stock manipulation and other prohibited practices used to defraud investors in Borsa İstanbul.
• We will implement regulations to prevent the risks posed by speculative and Ponzi-type finance practices.
• We will put an end to the construction-centered approach to make Istanbul global financial center.
• We will review labor regulations to reduce the financial and non-financial burdens on formal employment.
• We will simplify myriad and complex tax and social security premium regulations and incentives for employment.
• We will launch and support projects such as short-term employee training, internships, skill certification, on-line learning, and digital education channels and workshops to promote youth employment.
• In order to ensure more active participation of women in the workforce, we will increase the number of after-school activity centers and kindergartens at the neighborhood level in cooperation with local authorities, as well as improve access to elderly care (provided by the state).
• We will provide services such as vocational profiling, employment aid, vocational consulting and vocational training courses that will enable disabled people to take part in the labor market.
• We will prevent the Unemployment Insurance Fund from being misused and ensure that its activities are carried out in a more transparent framework.
• We will transfer half of the employer’s contribution of 2% to the Unemployment Insurance Fund to the “Preparation for Tomorrow Fund”, and through this Fund, we will provide financing for skill-building investments for employees at high risk of being unemployed[13].
• We will update the vocational education curriculum[14] in line with the professions of the future, and provide students with new transferable skills that they can use in different fields.
• We will establish Technology High Schools under the management of relevant stakeholders within Industrial Zones.

FOREİGN TRADE, DOMESTİC TRADE AND COMPETİTİON POLİCY

• We will end the obligation of exporters to sell 40% of their foreign exchange income to the CBRT.
• We will increase Eximbank’s capital and back the Bank to benefit more from long-term and concessional funding sources.
• We will revise administrative make-up of the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly and Exporters’ Associations, to ensure that resources are directed to exporters that are in real need, rather than possessing political connections.
• We will restructure the Investment Promotion Agency and enable the agency to provide consultancy services with digital tools.
• We will reactivate the Export Promotion Center (IGEME) in a public-private partnership format.
• We will restore DEİK[15] to an independent status.
• We will accelerate the negotiations to update the Customs Union Agreement with the European Union.
• We will prevent unfair competition in domestic production by reviewing reprocessing practices.
• We will establish a Coordination Board to improve communication and cooperation between the Competition Authority[16] and sectoral regulatory authorities.
• We will increase the administrative fines to be applied in cases such as giving incomplete, incorrect or misleading information to the Competition Authority, refusing to provide information, preventing the on-site inspection of the Authority personnel, as a deterrent.
• We will re-authorize the Council of State (Yargitay), instead of the Administrative Courts, as the appeal authority for the Competition Board decisions.
• We will increase the administrative and financial capacities of the Consumer Arbitration Committees, determine criteria such as education and experience for the selection of the members, and increase the transparency and accessibility of its
• We will put an end to monopolistic and oligopolistic structures in the food value chain by making the necessary changes in the Whole Sale Produce Markets Law and the Law on the Regulation of Retail Trade.

FOREIGN POLICY, DEFENSE, SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION POLICIES

• We will adopt the slogan “Peace at Home, Peace in the World”[17], as the cornerstone of our foreign policy, and our guiding foreign policy orientation.
• We will put an end to practices based on domestic political calculations and ideological approaches in foreign policy.
• We will restore the role and duty of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in foreign policy making, decisions and implementations.
• We will introduce a comprehensive entrance examination to recruit for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is objective, reliable, and devoid of political preferences, based on competence and merit.
• We will strive to ensure that our citizens living abroad and their NGOs become an effective tool of Turkey’s soft power and public diplomacy.
• We will establish a Diplomacy Academy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• In line with our goal of full membership to the European Union, we will work to complete the prior conditions for the chapters of the acquis within the framework of dialogue, justice and equality.
• We will review the 2014 Refugee Readmission Agreement and the 18 March 2016 Protocol[18], which will enable Turkey and the EU to approach the refugee problem by assuming joint responsibility and burden sharing.
• As a founding member of the Council of Europe and as a requirement of our Constitution, we will comply with the ECHR and other legal documents of the Council and implement the decisions of the ECtHR.
• We will continue our contributions to NATO on a rational basis and with due consideration of our national interests.
• We will strengthen the Organization of Turkish States.
• We will improve our visibility in organizations such as Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Organization of Economic Cooperation, D8 and the role of these organizations in international relations.
• We will respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries in the Middle East Region, not interfere in their internal affairs, and strive to facilitate solutions rather than “taking sides” in the problems among them.
• We will dialogue with all relevant parties in order to find a permanent solution to the Israel-Palestine problem within the framework of UN resolutions and on the basis of two states principle, and offer our services as a reliable interlocutor on the Palestinian dispute.
• We will further strengthen our fraternal ties with Azerbaijan on the basis of mutual trust.
• We will end Turkey’s isolation in the Eastern Mediterranean, and give priority to achieving results through negotiation in the topic of  delimitation of maritime jurisdictions and equitable sharing of hydrocarbon resources.
• In order to find a just and permanent solution to the Cyprus problem, which is our national cause, we will pursue the goals of protecting the inherent rights of the TRNC and Turkish Cypriots and remain loyal to sovereign political equality of the two communities.
• The Aegean Sea should be seen as an area of ​​peace, cooperation and good neighborliness. We will work to achieve this goal, and but will not allow any fait-accompli that may harm our sovereignty in the Aegean Sea.
• We will put the relations with the USA on an institutional basis as a partnership of equals, and advance the alliance relationship based on mutual trust.
• We will take initiatives for Turkey to return to the F-35 jet fighter project again.
• We will continue to strengthen relations with the Russian Federation on the basis of equality and establish a balanced and constructive dialogue at the institutional level.
• We will not only see the continent as an area where we open representative offices, but improve relations with Africa in a multi-faceted manner, and turn the Turkey-Africa Summits into a regular and functional process.
• We will revisit our “Asia vision” with a view on strengthening our relations with the countries in the region on the one hand, on a bilateral level, and on the other hand, enriching these bilateral relations by embedding them in  multi-national cooperation mechanisms.
• We will reevaluate our relation with organizations such as Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN on a realistic and sustainable basis.

[1] A committe that investigates whether prior year’s budget spending is in accord with the Budget Law

[2] This is the highest judicial administrative body in Turkey, which decides promotions, reassignments, disciplinary producers and alike.

[3] Where several bar associations can co-exist in any province.

[4] Meaning unless the police and prosecutor can prove without doubt that the suspects are violent, or flight risks, they shall not be detained.

[5] State-run  Turkish Radio and Television Broadcasting Corp

[6] State-run press agency

[7] To replace the  defunct State Planning Organization, which operated as a state-run think tank to research policy and create development plans.

[8] Meaning industrial and/or regional development policies

[9] Meaning the freedom to use any instrument to achieve  the inflation goal set jointly by the government and Central Bank

[10] To make sure expenditures are in line with the budget and relevant laws

[11] Currently at 0.4% of the declared value of the transaction, sort of a stamp tax.

[12] Special  Consumption  Tax

[13] By technological change

[14] In secondary schools…

[15] Foreign Economic Relations  Board

[16] Rekabet Kurulu, Anti-Trust  Board

[17] Ataturk’s famous foreing policy mantra

[18] The protocol whereby EU pays Turkey a lump sum amount for keeping Syrian refugees inside her borders