CHP to meet Gül over debated bill

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

A delegation from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) will meet with President Abdullah Gül Nov. 15 regarding a draft law on restructuring municipalities, which was approved by Parliament on Nov. 12 despite the opposition’s strong objections. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli publicly asked Gül on Nov. 13 to return the draft law to Parliament for a second debate.

The 10-member CHP delegation led by deputy chair Gökhan Günaydın consists of mayors of metropolitan municipalities, cities, districts and towns and the CHP’s spokesman for the Parliamentary Internal Affairs Commission.

Addressing his parliamentary group, Bahçeli said they expected Gül to return the law to Parliament. “The base of local administrations and city states is being constructed with the prime minister’s blind and cheap tactics.

Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan is constructing the architecture of a federal state without feeling any remorse, without blushing in shame and without even feeling the slightest resentment,” Bahçeli said.
According to the bill, 13 cities with populations exceeding 750,000 people will gain “metropolitan municipality” status, adding to the current 16 metropolitan municipalities.

The boundaries of metropolitan municipalities have been extended to the whole province.

Members of the opposition, including Günaydın, have previously called on Gül to strike down the metropolitan municipality law.