The Venice Commission has previously explained that according to Article 127 of the Turkish Constitution local administration organs are elected by the electorate, and that by replacing free elections by people with appointments made by state authorities (cf. Article 45, paragraph 1 of the Municipality Law as amended), Decree-Law N° 674 altered, in respect of the concerned local communities, “the very nature of local authorities as representative of the will and the choice of the local population, and the legitimacy of their action.” The above-mentioned lack of proportionality resulted in a breach of Article 3, paragraph 1 of the European Charter for Local Self-Government (ECLSG), as it undermined “the right and the ability” of elected local authorities, “to regulate and manage a substantial share of public affairs under their own responsibility and in the interests of the local population”.