Debate on pension and minimum wage hikes in the Grand National Assembly: AKP deputy says 'God willing' but votes no

In the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), which convened under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Tekin Bingöl, group motions from the CHP, DEM Party, and the New Way Party regarding the investigation of the economic crisis experienced by retirees and the increase of monthly pensions were discussed.

Speaking on his party's motion during the deliberations, New Way Party Group Deputy Chairman Selçuk Özdağ reacted to the inflation figures announced by TUIK. Proposing the establishment of a commission within TUIK that would include representatives and experts from every party, Özdağ criticized the government with the following words:

"You are unfairly taking money out of the pockets of our citizens, our 4.5 million civil servants, and our 17 million 700 thousand retirees; you are giving them low salaries, you are crushing them under inflation; you cannot be a Demirel, you cannot be an Erbakan. We see that you have been drifting along with the Presidential government system."

"The retiree would be right to spit in your face"

İYİ Party Tekirdağ Deputy Selcan Taşcı harshly criticized the government's justification that "resources are insufficient." Drawing attention to aesthetic expenditures in the capital, Taşcı stated, "The money spent for days so that those coming to the NATO summit would not see the misery of the capital has exceeded billions of liras; money was spent like water on aesthetics in this country. If their lives are not worth as much as the aesthetic taste of Trump or Macron, then whatever the retiree says to those who deem this appropriate for them, they are right; they would be right to spit in their faces."

Reminder of the hunger and poverty line from the CHP

Speaking regarding the CHP's motion, Aydın Deputy Evrim Karakoz stated that retirees have no purchasing power left in the face of high inflation. Reminding of the May 2026 data from TÜRK-İŞ, Karakoz emphasized that the hunger threshold is 35 thousand 174 liras and the poverty threshold is 114 thousand 576 liras, asking, "While these figures are clear, approximately 5 million of our citizens are struggling to survive on a 20 thousand lira pension. Will the minimum wage earner pay their house rent, go to the market, or educate their child?"

AKP's Yegin: It is not enough, we will fix it, God willing

Responding to the criticisms of the opposition, AKP Ankara Deputy Orhan Yegin argued that as the government, they have made significant regulations in the field of social security. Stating that the base salary, which was one thousand liras in 2019, has risen to 20 thousand liras, Yegin said, "Is this enough? It is never enough. We are striving to provide much higher welfare to our retirees and those on fixed incomes." Arguing that permanent welfare will not be achieved through salary increases but by lowering inflation, Yegin ended his words by saying, "We will fix it, God willing."

Intervening after Yegin's words, CHP Group Deputy Chairman Gökhan Günaydın expressed his reaction by saying, "The speech is nice but there is no action; it seems 16.5 million retirees will continue to suffer."

Following the discussions, the motions of the CHP, DEM Party, and the New Way Party, which were put to a vote, were rejected by the votes of AKP and MHP deputies.

News Source: 12punto