Parliament speaker, Kılıçdaroğlu meet to discuss new charter

ANKARA

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has met with main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in a closed-door meeting to address the government's proposal for a new constitution.

The meeting, held at the Turkish parliament on Oct. 11, was attended by Deputy Speaker Gülizar Biçer Karaca, CHP group deputy leaders Ali Mahir Başarır, Burcu Köksal and Gökhan Günaydın, along with the administrative head of the assembly, Ensar Aytekin.

Following the meeting, Kılıçdaroğlu addressed the media and described the discussions as productive.

The gathering comes after Kurtulmuş's announcement last week that he intended to meet with various political parties to discuss the government's proposal for a new constitution. The initiative aligns with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's reiterated calls for a brand-new constitution during the commencement of the second chapter activities of the Turkish parliament's 28th term on Oct. 1.

The proposal seeks constitutional guarantees for the headscarf. However, it requires a minimum of 400 votes for acceptance, with the current tally of supporting deputies from the ruling People's Alliance standing at 323.

During their meeting, Kılıçdaroğlu said he reiterated his proposal for a "strengthened parliamentary system," a key promise made by the opposition Nation Alliance during the campaign leading up to the May polls.

"I hope politics will solve Türkiye's problems within a certain basis of compromise," the CHP leader said.