Commission accepts new army draft

The draft law to allow for paid exemption from military service was accepted in the National Defense Commission, according to the television channel NTVMSNBC.

The commission started to discuss the bill yesterday in Parliament, two days after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared men aged 30 and up will be exempt from the compulsory duty by paying 30,000 Turkish liras.

The proposal is expected to be voted by the General Assembly next week.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has demanded a reduction of a 30,000 Turkish Liras fee as the parliamentary commission commenced discussion regarding the bill yesterday.

The proposed bill would allow men aged 30 and up to be exempt from the compulsory duty in return for payment. In a written statement, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli called the law “unjust,” accusing it of being discriminatory toward the poor. He went on to say lessening the amount of money required would be the “right step.” Length of military services should be revised in line with the country’s security needs, Bahçeli said, and should be part of a new military personnel regime.