Turkish parliament begins new legislative year with tension

Duvar English

Turkey’s Parliament on Oct. 1 held the opening ceremony for the third year of its 28th legislative term. Opposition deputies protested the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its leader President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the ceremony, drawing attention to the ongoing constitutional and political issues. 

Representatives of opposition parties, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) chair Özgür Özel, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan, nationalist opposition Good (İYİ) Party chair Müsavat Dervişoğlu, the radical Islamist New Welfare Party (YRP) chair Fatih Erbakan, and pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) co-chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar attended the session where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke.

Before the session, the CHP parliamentary group sent a message instructing its deputies to stand up when President Erdoğan entered the chamber. Some CHP members did not want to stand up for Erdoğan and chose not to attend the session. DEM Party lawmakers also remained seated when Erdoğan entered.

CHP leader Özel was the first to stand up as Erdoğan entered the general assembly. He later explained that the party would not show any disrespect to the office.

This shift in the CHP's stance sparked debate. About 50-60 lawmakers did not attend the session. While some were reportedly absent due to personal reasons, the majority were said to have stayed away in protest of the decision, wrote Nergis Demirkaya of Gazete Duvar.

A lawmaker who did not comply with the decision said, "The point we’ve reached under the guise of normalization risks legitimizing the regime. There’s been no change in the issues we’ve been fundamentally criticizing about the system."

While some lawmakers agreed with Özel’s reasoning, some opposed how the process was handled. According to sources, Özel made the decision the day before the opening session but did not share it with the entire group leadership. The lawmakers were notified via text message just three hours before the session.

Party members said that the process management was flawed, adding, "Early communication and quick evaluation within our group wouldn’t have been difficult."

According to CHP officials, the decision aimed to influence undecided voters, which polls showed at 18-20 percent.

Erdoğan’s speech focused on Israel’s attacks on Palestine and the new constitution discussions.  He stated that the current constitution, “imposed on our nation in the shadow of weapons following the Sept. 12 military coup,” no longer fit the needs of Turkish society. 

“Achieving our grand goals and aspirations is only possible with a new, conciliatory, libertarian, and civilian constitution. The need for a new civilian constitution becomes more evident with each passing day,”  the President said.

Erdoğan noted that the AKP and the People's Alliance were diligently preparing their proposals, but this did not mean they were closed to collaboration. “We respect and listen to every viewpoint. I invite all segments of society to join our struggle for a new and civilian constitution," the President stated. 

The Assembly convened without Can Atalay of the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP), whose parliamentary mandate was not reinstated despite a Constitutional Court ruling that his rights had been violated. TİP Chair Erkan Baş held a press conference in the parliament instead of attending the opening ceremony, along with deputies Ahmet Şık and Saliha Sera Kadıgil.

Baş said that the party refused to listen to the “lies and fairy tales” of Erdoğan, who opens and closes the Assembly, passes laws at will, and “tramples on” the current constitution. 

“Today’s event is not the opening of a people's assembly but a masquerade ball. We refuse to be part of this masquerade. That’s why we will not attend the General Assembly. We will not grant even a shred of legitimacy to those who trample on the will of the people in a place where it should prevail,” Baş added.

Baş also called for early elections, saying that was TİP's sole message for the opening of the new session.

In his opening speech to the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Speaker Kurtulmuş addressed the issue of a new constitution, saying that a constitution that is “democratic, participatory, inclusive, libertarian, and based on the separation of powers” would give Turkey breathing room. 

During the speech, CHP deputy Sibel Suiçmez raised a placard that read, “Parliament is violating the Constitution.”