The Justice and Development (AK Party) has been holding workshops on a new constitution for quite some time. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the party has been preparing for it. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) wing of the People’s Alliance had already prepared its own draft. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that he has appointed 11 legal experts from his party to work on the new constitution. The names of those who will serve on the commission have been announced.

Each time President Erdoğan brings up the issue, he makes an open call to the opposition. He states that for a new constitution that will "strengthen democratic legitimacy and guarantee rights and freedoms,” the opposition must put forward its proposals, whether directly or indirectly.

Erdoğan has demonstrated his determination on this matter. Those who have followed his political style over the years know well that when he brings an issue to the public agenda and launches a mobilization around it, he generally succeeds in gaining public support.

Since a constitution is a social contract, the best method of constitution-making involves broad participation. Political parties representing different segments of society should take the lead and reflect the public’s demands and expectations in the constitution-making process. However, when political parties are lazy and fail to incorporate these societal expectations into an institutional framework for negotiations, they neglect the very constituencies that voted for them.

The claim that "a new constitution is not society’s top priority right now” does not amount to political production. It may be true that if a public opinion poll were conducted, a demand for a new constitution might not come out on top. However, the political agenda can never be reduced to a single issue. The political establishment is responsible for convincing all segments of society, starting with its own base, of the necessity of steps to be taken for the country’s future. It must clearly and effectively explain why the issue it brings to the agenda is important. Indeed, over the past 23 years, we have repeatedly witnessed how President Erdoğan has led numerous reform processes, especially constitutional amendments, in collaboration with the public.

Therefore, opposition parties, especially the Republican People's Party (CHP), should prepare their own proposals instead of merely reacting to the process, even if they choose not to contribute to joint commissions. Looking at the CHP’s political stance and current position, it seems unlikely that it will be able to produce a concrete draft. Because preparing a text on a subject like the constitution requires a team effort, a "laboratory,” so to speak, and consensus within the party.

Currently, the CHP does not appear to be motivated to devote time to a new constitution, either in terms of internal cohesion or political priority. Since the CHP is unlikely to present a concrete framework aligned with its own priorities, its political strategy will be reduced to two core arguments. First, it will emphasize the claim that "Erdoğan wants to change the constitution for his own political future.” Second, it will try to equate the new constitution efforts with the "terror-free Türkiye” process in a way that targets public sensitivities.

Erdoğan stated on the plane returning from Azerbaijan that they know the "trap” the opposition is setting regarding the new constitution. "We don’t want a new constitution for Tayyip Erdoğan, but for 86 million people,” he said. The new constitution will be a topic of debate in the coming months. By the new legislative term, a framework for negotiation will likely emerge. Instead of offering abstract objections, the opposition should present its proposals in coherent, written form. This would allow society to compare the parties’ drafts better. Even when institutional opposition support is lacking, societal support has been achieved in different examples.