‘Seating’ crisis in the Turkish Grand National Assembly
As the General Assembly convened in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), MPs from the Future Party and the Felicity Party (Saadet Party) protested the lack of assigned seating for their groups by sitting in the commission benches.
İHA
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Bozdağ stated that the formation of a new political party group necessitated a change in the seating arrangement of the General Assembly, and that a commission had been established during today's Presidential Council meeting to address the seating order.
Stating that the commission would reach a decision and submit it to the Presidential Council, Bozdağ requested that the Felicity Party MPs, who were sitting in the commission benches, move to the regular MP benches.
AK Party MPs reacted to the deputies who did not heed Bozdağ's warning, leading to a dispute.
DEMAND TO ‘SUSPEND THE PROCEEDINGS’
Felicity Party Group Chairman Selçuk Özdağ recalled that the Felicity Party group was established on July 6 and demanded that they be granted the same rights as other parties.
Felicity Party Group Deputy Chairman İsa Mesih Şahin also requested that Bozdağ find a temporary solution to this issue today or that the Parliament suspend its proceedings.
“IT WOULD NOT BE RIGHT TO SUSPEND THE PROCEEDINGS”
AK Party Group Deputy Chairwoman Leyla Şahin Usta stated that while the Felicity Party MPs' demands regarding the seating arrangement were legitimate, sitting in the commission benches was not the correct approach.
Usta added that it would not be right for the Parliament to suspend its proceedings due to a seating dispute.
After a short break in the General Assembly, the session resumed. The Felicity Party MPs continued to sit in the commission benches following the break.