PodcastFights, desserts and spaceships: Best of Turkey's budget talks
Turkey's parliament has concluded budget talks that lasted for over a month. There were moments that made the audience laugh, while deputies fought over various issues from time to time.
Duvar English - Turkey's parliament on Nov. 26 concluded budget talks that began on Oct. 20. Deputies gathered 23 times in 38 days to discuss the budget and the talks witnessed a series of noteworthy incidents.
The talks on the budgets of 17 ministries, the presidency and parliament lasted for 234 hours with the participation of some 257 deputies, which corresponds to 45 percent of the total number of lawmakers.
Similar to the previous years, opposition deputies staged numerous protests against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in addition to the speeches they made. They sometimes held banners during their protests, mainly during those carried out for the re-implementation of the Istanbul Convention and a decent minimum wage.
One of the most interesting moments took place when main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Süleyman Girgin brought lemons and fertilizer to parliament to protest the budget of the Agriculture Ministry.
Tensions were highest when deputies discussed the Interior Ministry's budget. While the talks for other ministries lasted for 9 to 10 hours, those for the Interior Ministry lasted for 15 due to constant brawls and fights. The highest number of breaks were held also in these talks.
The shortest talks were on the budget of the Defense Ministry, mainly due to the low number of MPs being present. The talks began at around 10 a.m. and were over by 4:30 p.m.