Opposition slams AKP deputy for presenting draft bill to First Lady Erdoğan before parliament

A deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was slammed by an opposition lawmaker for presenting a draft bill to the First Lady before it was heard in parliament. Opposition deputy Murat Bakan said that the AKP deputy's meeting with the First Lady was a breach of the separation of powers.

Thursday December 03 2020 12:26 pm

Duvar English

A deputy of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) slammed ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmaker Selman Özboyacı for presenting a draft bill to First Lady Emine Erdoğan before the proposal was heard in parliament.

Özboyacı's bill had been approved in parliament's Environment Committee when the lawmaker took it to the First Lady, which CHP Deputy Murat Bakan said was a breach of the separation of powers in the state.

"If a member of the legislative branch presents a bill to the president's wife, not the president either, this means that the legislative, judiciary and executive powers have been centered in the hands of one family," Bakan said. "If there's anything worse than a one-man state, it's the concentration of all state powers in one family."

AKP deputy Özboyacı said in his defense that his reason for presenting the bill to the First Lady was her personal interest in the environment since the bill in question suggests the establishment of an environmental agency in Turkey.

"We visited the lady to inform her, just like we consulted with all other non-governmental organizations," Özboyacı said, adding that there was no legislative action taken as the bill was already approved by the Environment Committee.

The CHP deputy said that Özboyacı's visit with the First Lady was an attempt to obtain clout through Erdoğan's support.