Proposed bill challenges Turkish citizenship for foreign spouses
The Justice and Development Party introduces a vague morality clause for the naturalization of foreign spouses to impose its own definition of marriage.
On Nov. 24, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) submitted an omnibus bill to the Turkish parliament referred to as the “Domestic Security Package.” It was labeled in newspapers as the “Super Omnibus Bill,” since it introduced changes in 19 different areas. Many news media outlets focused on a section that introduced changes for the naturalization of foreign spouses.
The headline from Diken news outlet was “Ivan Watson’s Turkish Citizenship No Longer Possible! A Morality Clause Being Introduced for Foreign Spouses.” Although Watson, CNN’s Istanbul correspondent, has not applied to acquire Turkish citizenship, news outlets referred to him to make the point that for any foreigner arrested, naturalization could be impossible. The proposed omnibus bill — which is likely to be passed with few or no amendments, given the track record of the AKP administration — has initiated a public debate about what should be the criteria to acquire Turkish citizenship.
