AK Party's new election law to hit Turkish parliament's agenda

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish parliament will focus on the new judicial reform package, economy, and fight with the pandemic in the new legislative session, the Justice and Development (AK) Party deputy parliamentary group chair said on Wednesday.

"In the new (legislative) session, we will focus on many issues, especially judicial reform, economy, and the fight against the (coronavirus) pandemic," Bulent Turan told Anadolu Agency.

The Turkish parliament will launch the fifth legislative session of its 27th term on Friday.

Turan noted that they would have a proposal aimed at facilitating taxes and observing taxpayers' voluntary compliance with taxation.

He said they were also working on a proposal for promoting cooperatives.

"We will have important agendas such as the election law, the law on political parties, and the work on a new constitution," he said.

"It is the common responsibility of all political parties to contribute to the work that will make Turkey stronger. We want to stay away from polemics and vicious discussions," he added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sept. 1 pledged to accelerate the country’s judicial reform efforts.

"In the new judicial year, we'll accelerate our judicial reform efforts that will relieve both our justiciary organization and our nation," Erdogan said.

On March 2, he announced a human rights plan, unveiling 11 principles set to be carried out in the course of two years.

It was designed as a "broad-based" plan to strengthen rights protections, individual freedoms and security, judicial independence, personal privacy, transparency, and property rights, as well as protect vulnerable groups and enhance administrative and social awareness of human rights.

Meanwhile, the deputy parliamentary group chair of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) called for a new social media law in the new term.

"Fake news and perception operations on social media continue. It is likely that a new regulation for these will come in the new legislative year," Erkan Akcay said.

"A regulation should be made for the media that currently engages in perception operations through the spread of false news against Turkey," Akcay added.

Akcay noted that the new constitution works will also be on the agenda in the new legislative session.

The MHP cooperates with the AK Party under their People’s Alliance, formed ahead of the June 2018 general elections.

The main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) deputy parliamentary group chair said they would be monitoring AK Party's performance in the new legislative session.

"The primary task of the parliament in the new legislative year should be to discuss and enact a series of measures, relieving large segments of the society that have been hurt economically," Ozgur Ozel said.

"However, we understand from the statements of the spokespersons of the party and the developments that our citizens will not be on the agenda of the government," Ozel added.