Turkey: HDP deputy one step closer to losing seat

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Deputy Leyla Zana is one step closer to losing her seat in parliament, according to the ruling of a supervisory council on Thursday.

Zama, from the People's Democratic Party (HDP), faces expulsion due to her failing to properly take her oath of office, as well as rampant absenteeism, after missing over 200 legislative sessions.

In a meeting chaired by Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman, a parliamentary council decided to refer Zana's case to a joint meeting of parliament’s Constitution and Justice Committees Friday at 3.00 p.m. (1200GMT).

If the joint committee refers Zana’s case to the general assembly, her deputyship could be revoked by an absolute majority vote in the 550-seat chamber

The council that considered Zana’s case Thursday has a total of 23 deputies, including the parliament speaker and four vice-speakers, and operates under Turkish law and parliament's bylaws.

-Illicitly altered oath

After her election in November 2015, Zana, a deputy from the eastern province of Agri, prefaced her oath of office with the words “in hope of an honorable and permanent peace” in Kurdish, before referring to “Turkey's nation” instead of the “Turkish nation”.

After failing to take the oath properly, Zana left the assembly chamber, refusing the speaker’s order to retake the oath according to the official text.

Deniz Baykal, an Antalya deputy who was then serving as interim speaker, said that deputies cannot change the text of their oath according to personal whim.

Zana has been called to retake her oath more than once but she has refused.

Zana has a history of illicitly altering her oath.

At her 1991 swearing-in, nearly a quarter-century before the 2015 incident, she added the words, "I take this oath in the name of fellowship between the Turkish and Kurdish peoples”.