Parties to hold crisis talks over internal rules draft
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
Representatives of the four parties in Parliament were scheduled to meet today in an effort to end a row over amendments to Parliament’s internal rules drafted by the ruling party that has thrown General Assembly sessions into disarray.Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek, who stepped in last week to defuse the row, has proposed nine changes to the draft, most of which the Justice and Development Party (AKP) views favorably, AKP deputy chair Mustafa Elitaş said yesterday.
“We are doing our best to reach a compromise,” he said, but signaled that the AKP was not open to discuss other proposals from the opposition. Asked whether the draft could be shelved, Elitaş said: “Then what was all the fuss about? We want to resolve this issue and get over it.”
In a rare move of solidarity, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) have mounted ferocious opposition to the AKP-drafted amendments, which would significantly curb opposition lawmakers’ opportunities to speak in the legislature and challenge moves by the ruling party. k HDN
