Parliament set to debate legislative omnibus bill

ANKARA

Türkiye's parliament is set to discuss an omnibus bill on judiciary this week in plenary sessions, with deliberations expected to be lengthy.

The proposed legislation, which seeks to amend a wide range of laws, includes changes to the nation’s criminal, mediation and legal profession regulations.

Among the new provisions, the bill introduces stricter penalties for insults, specifying that offenses made by voice, written, or visual messages will be excluded from mediation and instead fall under advance payment procedures.

The complaint period for such insult cases will be limited to two years, shortening the timeframe for filing complaints.

For those pursuing a career in mediation, the bill stipulates that only law graduates can now apply.

Additionally, individuals with at least 20 years of experience and formal mediation training will be eligible for registry entry without taking a written exam.

Changes to the legal exams are also outlined, increasing the number of questions on entrance exams for legal and administrative judiciary professions from 100 to 120.

Modifications to the selection process for assistant judges and prosecutors are also proposed, with candidates invited to interview sessions now doubled relative to the number of available positions.

Meanwhile, the government’s 2025 budget deliberations are set to begin in a parliamentary committee on Oct. 30. Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş will present the assembly's own budget for approval.

A closed-door session of the parliament's security and intelligence committee will see police officials discuss developments in 2023, while the Family and Social Services Ministry is scheduled to brief a human rights sub-committee on migration and integration.

Separately, the foreign affairs committee will review 10 draft laws concerning international agreements.