Parliament to hold extraordinary session
ANKARA
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has called for an extraordinary meeting to convene the General Assembly of the parliament on Aug. 8, in response to the opposition's request regarding the controversial deforestation of woodlands in western Türkiye for mining purposes.
Deputies from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), the Felicity Party (SP) and the Democrat Party (DP) were signatories to the call for the extraordinary meeting.
The issue arose when chainsaw teams initiated operations in the forest area a week ago, which sparked confrontations between campaigners and law enforcement personnel.
Addressing the issue on his Twitter account, CHP's parliamentary leader Özgür Özel said, "We decided to call the general assembly of the parliament to an extraordinary meeting with the agreement of all opposition parties and the signatures of the deputies elected from our party's lists." He emphasized the urgency of addressing the "massacre in Akbelen" and its impact on the environment.
In order to proceed with the extraordinary meeting, the call required the signatures of 120 deputies. Additionally, the chairman of the assembly is needed to respond positively to the request. A quorum of 200 deputies is also necessary to hold the meeting.
