Parliament is the same as we know it: Nothing has changed in the new legislative year

The TBMM General Assembly discussed the first motions submitted by opposition parties regarding the new legislative year. First, the motion by the New Path Group was brought to the agenda.

Within the scope of this motion, it was requested that the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump be discussed in Parliament.

The opposition directed the following questions to the government: “Will we be buying natural gas and liquid gas from the US at a cheaper price than what we buy from Russia? Have secret agreements been made? Why was the 43 billion LNG agreement hidden from the Turkish nation? What is the cost of the 225-aircraft agreement made with Boeing? What concessions is Turkey being forced to make? What promises were made behind the scenes regarding F-35, S-400, and CAATSA sanctions?”

Speaking on behalf of the AKP Group regarding the President's Washington visit, Cüneyt Yüksel stated that the visit was extremely productive and successful.

Yüksel stated that steps to be taken to reach the 100 billion dollar bilateral trade volume target previously set by the two leaders were emphasized. He also said, “No steps that would drag our country into a spiral of debt and pressure are being taken. As the opposition, you were expecting this visit to be unsuccessful, but we know that your hopes were dashed.” Following the speeches, the motion was rejected by the votes of the AKP and MHP.

MOTION TO COMBAT POVERTY

Another motion that came to the agenda covered the measures to be taken for the eradication of poverty, submitted by the DEM Party. AKP's Hüseyin Altınsoy responded to the opposition's criticisms using data from 3 years ago.

Altınsoy argued that the government has achieved significant success in this regard, saying, “According to World Bank data, while the ratio of the number of people living in absolute poverty to the population was 50.5 percent in 2002, this rate fell to 10.8 percent in 2022 with the measures we took and the social and economic policies we implemented.” This motion was also rejected by the votes of the AKP and MHP.

JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE AND THE CHP MOTION

Finally, the motion submitted by the CHP to investigate potential discriminatory practices in judicial processes was discussed. AKP's Mustafa Aslan reiterated the government's recent statements that “the judiciary is independent,” stating, “Everyone is equal before the law. Why is privilege expected for mayors due to their political titles?” Aslan said, “Waiting for the processes of the rule of law is the most correct thing to do.” The CHP's motion was also rejected by the votes of the AKP and MHP.

News Source: 12punto