Turkish gov’t to require pre-nuptial ‘licenses to marry’

ANKARA

Couples in Turkey will now be required to acquire a “license to marry” before they can wed following a new cabinet decision.

“A person who applies for marriage according to the provisions of this regulation must prepare the affidavit and the license to marry,” according to an amended article that was published in the Official Gazette on Feb. 10.

Last week, a deputy from Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) raised eyebrows by suggesting the issuance of a “license to marry” for men, days after he stirred controversy by stressing “the honor of the neighborhood.”

“If [domestic violence] occurs between married couples so frequently,” said İsmet Uçma, an Istanbul deputy and one of the founders of the AKP, “let’s introduce something like a license to marry.”