Turkish Parliament, scene of more inquiries

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

An enormous increase in the number of official questions, parliamentary inquiries and censure motions was observed this year in comparison to previous legislative years, Parliamentary Speaker Cemil Çiçek said yesterday.

“When compared to the previous legislative year, the received written motions increased 39.2 percent and the verbal motions increased 90 percent. The rise in parliamentary inquiries is 81 percent and the rise in censure motions is 115 percent,” Çiçek said at a press conference while giving information about the deputies’ supervision activities as part of a review of the past legislative year.

Meanwhile, according to statistics over the activity of the legislative branch, a total of 780 press meetings were held during the last legislative year, which ran from Oct. 1, 2012 to July 13, 2013, Anadolu Agency reported.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) conducted the highest amount of press meetings at 333, while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) followed at 248. Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputies held 133, while independent deputies held 20 press conferences.

The MHP’s Oktay Vural and Özcan Yeniçeri were the two MPs who held the most number of meetings.

Both the expertise commission and inquiry commissions worked hard during the past legislative year. The expertise commissions, including the ones on planning, the budget and justice, discussed draft bills and proposals throughout their 262 meetings.

Inquiry commissions, including those about the resolution process, illegal eavesdropping, coups and violence against health personnel held 231 meetings. The numbers of parliamentary group meetings regularly held on Tuesdays were 26 by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), 32 by the CHP, 31 by the MHP and 29 by the BDP.