Parliament Speaker Çiçek bids to calm tension between ruling, opposition parties

ANKARA

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Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek has bid to de-escalate the high tension at parliament between ruling party and opposition deputies, after the debate on a bill aimed at cracking down on violent demonstrations descended into a brawl and five MPs were injured late on Feb. 17.

The deputy parliamentary group chairs of the all three opposition parties represented at parliament - the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) –requested a meeting with Çiçek, stating that the working environment at parliament had become badly disrupted of late.

Çiçek and the party representatives were set to hold a meeting at 4.30 p.m. on Feb. 19.