Turkey: Parliament due to open on October 1st
The Parliamentary General Assembly will convene with a special agenda on Saturday, the first day of the new legislative term.
The session will begin with Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek’s remarks and President Abdullah Gul will then address the General Assembly.
After Gul’s address, deputies of Peace & Democracy Party (BDP) will take oath.
BDP-backed independent deputies refused to sworn in after June 12 general elections when a series of court rulings barred some of its jailed elected candidates from taking their seats. The deputies recently announced that they ended the boycott, and would take oath at the opening of the new legislative term in Parliament.
Meanwhile, the traditional October 1 reception will not take place this year due to killing of soldiers in terrorist attacks.
The main topic of the Parliament will be a motion which extends the authority of the government to stage cross-border operations one more year. The government’s authority will expire on October 17. The motion is expected to be debated on October 5.
The motion asks the Parliament to allow the government to stage cross-border operations into the north of Iraq in order to take necessary measures in line with international law and as a part of fight against terrorism, and to eliminate terrorist threat and attacks.
It also demands that the extension of government’s mandate to stage cross-border operations for another year, starting on October 17, 2011. The motion was first brought up to Parliament in 2007, and it was extended twice in 2008 and 2009.
Moreover, initiatives to re-write a constitution will be speeded up in the new legislative year.
Parliament Speaker Cicek will send letters to political parties that have groups at Parliament, and ask them to name two members each for the Constitutional Compromise Committee.
When the groups name the members, the Committee will be established and start dealing with preparation of a new constitution.
30 September 2011
SOURCE: CUMHURIYET.COM.TR
