The plenary of Parliament will resume on Tuesday, after a three-week hiatus amid the Feb. 6 earthquakes in southern Türkiye, the deadliest in recent history. Parliament remained open after the disaster, but the number of lawmakers necessary for plenary has not met as almost all deputies are visiting disaster zones, helping recovery efforts.
The earthquakes will be the main agenda of Parliament. Five political parties, consisting of the majority in Parliament, are expected to jointly agree on the establishment of an Earthquake Investigation Committee. The committee will look into all angles of the disaster, from those responsible for the collapse of buildings to preventive measures against damage from future earthquakes.
Parliament is also expected to pass a bill for a landmark retirement regulation affecting millions. Last year, Türkiye removed the retirement age requirement for those who started working before September 1999, when the law regulating retirement requirements changed, to the benefit of a large number of people who were expected to receive their first pensions in March. But the disaster disrupted parliamentary work, and thus, postponed the implementation of the bill. Under current circumstances, payments are expected to be delayed by at least one month, to April.
Lawmakers will also discuss legal regulations for public debt restructuring, another issue delayed amid the disaster.
On March 2, a parliamentary committee will convene to discuss the lifting of immunity for Lütfü Türkkan, a lawmaker from the Good Party (IP) and Ali Mahir Başarır, a lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Türkkan is entangled in legal action for insulting a citizen and inflicting personal injury after he was documented in a physical altercation with a man. Başarır faces a lawsuit for insulting members of a court after a brawl erupted in a courtroom.
