At Ankara Bar Association No. 2, President Gökhan Ağdemir withdrew his candidacy for reelection after boasting that his bar had helped 70 of its members become judges and prosecutors. At Istanbul Bar Association No. 2, the candidate backed by AKP and MHP groups lost the presidency by six votes.
Both bars were founded under the multi-bar system introduced in 2020, which opponents said was designed to weaken the large bar associations critical of the government.
After Ağdemir’s remarks went public, 10 lawyers filed a criminal complaint against him.
‘THE MINISTRY GRANTED US A PRIVILEGE’
Ağdemir made the remarks on Bengü Türk TV on Oct. 5.
“We serve as a reference for colleagues who want to become judges and prosecutors. In our roughly two years in office, we made 70 of our bar’s members lawyers, judges and prosecutors. We acted as references; we met with the ministries. Thanks to them, the ministry granted us a privilege in that respect,” he said.
The remarks triggered debate over merit, equality and judicial independence in the appointment of judges and prosecutors.
Conservative Yeni Yol Group’s deputy chair Selçuk Özdağ submitted a parliamentary question to Justice Minister Akın Gürlek. Gürlek, who also chairs the Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), has not commented.
Ağdemir said his words had been taken out of context. He said he was withdrawing so that the debate around him would not further harm the institution he represents. The Ankara bar is set to hold its election on Oct. 18.
SIX VOTES IN ISTANBUL
In Istanbul Bar Association No. 2, Rıza Saka won the presidency on Oct. 11 with 1,022 votes.
Ali Kasım Tuna, backed by AKP and MHP groups, received 1,016 votes, and Murat Güneş 51. Saka was supported by lawyers from the Milli Görüş tradition, Medyascope reported.
Thirty-one votes were declared invalid. Tuna has appealed to the district election board.
HOW THE MULTI-BAR SYSTEM CAME ABOUT
AKP and MHP lawmakers submitted the bill on June 30, 2020. It allowed at least 2,000 lawyers to form a new bar in provinces with more than 5,000 lawyers. Its supporters said large bars had a representation problem and that lawyers with different views needed more room to organize.
Bar presidents marched to Ankara in protest. Opposition lawmakers warned that the change would divide professional associations along political lines and weaken the defense.
Parliament adopted the bill on July 11, 2020. The CHP challenged it at the Constitutional Court, which rejected the request for annulment on Oct. 1, 2020. Since then, lawyers working in public institutions were forced to resign from the first bar and to join the second one.
