Parliament calls for extraordinary session as MPs fail to reach quorum this week

PARLIAMENT is to meet in extraordinary session on Monday after five attempts to convene it this week were thwarted because insufficient MPs turned up.

The four-way coalition — comprising the Republican Turkish (CTP), People’s (HP), Social Democratic (TDP) and Democrat (DP) parties — failed to secure the 26 deputies needed in the 50-seat legislature to constitute a quorum.

Speaker Teberrüken Uluçay tried to convene the session twice on Monday morning, but was forced to adjourn to Tuesday when too many seats remained empty. The same happened twice on Tuesday, and when it occurred again on Wednesday Mr Uluçay deferred for a fifth time, until yesterday.

He later announced Monday’s extraordinary session instead, commenting that the opposition was “determined” not to attend Parliament.

The coalition parties have 27 seats in the Assembly and have also enjoyed support from the Rebirth Party (YDP), which won two seats in January’s snap election.

However YDP leader Erhan Arıklı announced on Wednesday they would no longer do so after three days of failed attempts and said: “Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman and Economy Minister Özdil Nami have used excuses of having to go abroad to unimportant meetings. This is not acting seriously when the government is already handicapped.”

Main opposition National Unity Party (UBP) head Hüseyin Özgürgün said the government was “incompetent and stubborn” in “insisting on being a government, yet failing to get the necessary turnout”.

But CTP MP Doğuş Derya, head of Parliament’s Legal and Political Affairs Committee, hit back saying “MPs who aren’t turning up for the legislative work of committee meetings should return their salaries.”

HP deputy Jale Refik Rogers called UBP’s approach “childish by keeping away and causing a turnout crisis”.

“If you want to show your opposition, come to the committee meetings and voice it there,” she said.