Parliament Ends 14-Hour Session And Breaks For Summer Recess

The scheduled oversight session was cancelled due to the funeral of journalist Sevgül Uludağ.

During the long sitting, a series of bills were debated and adopted, including the Financial Transactions Tax Bill, which passed with 25 votes in favour and 8 against following the report of the Committee on Economy, Finance, Budget and Planning.

The Social Security (Amendment) Bill and the Kıbrıs Turkish Social Insurance (Amendment) Bill were also approved by majority vote, alongside the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill, which passed with 26 votes in favour and 5 against.

The Civil Aviation Department Establishment, Duties and Working Principles (Amendment) Bill sparked debate, during which CTP MP Filiz Besim criticised changes to the criteria for appointing the director, including a reduction in the English language requirement, describing the move as an example of “law-making tailored to individuals”. Despite objections, the bill was passed by majority vote.

Later, an emergency motion to include the Kıbrıs Turkish Police Strengthening Bill on the agenda was approved unanimously, and the bill itself was adopted with 30 votes in favour.

CTP MP Erkut Şahali said during the debate that the law would “go down in history as a disgrace of the state”, arguing that the police force had been left under-resourced and forced to create its own mechanisms to generate income.

Several additional bills were then approved unanimously, including amendments to the Citizenship Law and multiple decisions concerning land and property arrangements in various localities.

Among them were decisions related to Muratağa Martyrs’ Road access arrangements, the Sevgi Çocuk Köyü area in Haspolat, and land exchange procedures in Alayköy, all of which were adopted either unanimously or by majority vote.

Two proposals by UBP MP Sunat Atun regarding public service regulations were referred urgently to committee and approved unanimously.

During the final stage of proceedings, Erkut Şahali thanked parliamentary staff, describing the day as an extraordinary working session and noting that the number of laws passed was equivalent to several months of legislative work. Sunat Atun also thanked parliamentary staff, stating that governing the state involves such intensive sessions.

In the final vote, Prof. Dr. Murat Tezer was elected to the Higher Education Planning, Evaluation, Accreditation and Coordination Council (YÖDAK) with 27 votes in favour, 3 against and 2 abstentions.

The session then concluded. Parliament will reconvene on 1 October, following the summer recess.