Following the call by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç for the release of MPs in prison, work has begun on changes to legislation. It is anticipated that in the event of agreement being reached between the four parties in Parliament a change will be made to article 83 of the Constitution or to the Law on Criminal Procedure, in the form of a paragraph to read: "in the event of a person in custody being elected as an MP they shall be released".

According to information from within the AKP, leaders of the 4 parliamentary party groups will meet in order to find a solution to the question of MPs in custody. Once agreement is reached changes will be made to the Constitution or to Criminal Procedural Law.   

While the preferred option is for a change to article 83 of the Constitution, some legal experts advocate the introduction of a general legal provision that will make it more difficult to remand an accused person in custody. It is reported that work on legal reform will begin in the coming days and be discussed in parliament in the New Year.