As they wrapped up days of talks on the 2026 budget, lawmakers will reconvene this week to discuss and possibly vote on new bills and an extension of Turkish troop deployment to Libya.
Members of Parliament will first negotiate the approval of a two-year extension for Libya proposed by the presidency.
The presidency formally submitted a motion to Parliament on the matter last Sunday.
The motion points to the 2019 request by Libya’s Government of National Unity for support from Türkiye amid attacks to unseat it, which began in April 2019. It says that attacks and internal turmoil ceased in the subsequent period and this prevented Libya from falling into chaos and instability, which would pose a security risk both for Türkiye and the entire region.
“The continued inability to hold elections in Libya has prolonged political uncertainty and governance problems, putting at risk the calm achieved on the ground through great sacrifice and posing a serious obstacle to lasting stability. This situation raises concerns for the security of Libya and the wider region. Given the deep-rooted historical, political and economic ties between Türkiye and Libya, which were further strengthened by the Memorandum of Understanding on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas in the Mediterranean that has been signed and entered into force, the continuation of the cease-fire and political dialogue process in Libya, and the establishment of peace and stability as a result of that process, are of great importance for Türkiye,” the motion said.
The parliamentary motion emphasized that, within this framework, Türkiye continues to provide training and advisory support contributing to Libya’s security under the Security and Military Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding signed with Libya and now in force, and that Türkiye actively contributes to maintaining stability and calm on the ground.
The motion noted that, at the current stage, it has not yet been possible to finalize a permanent cease-fire and the political dialogue process in Libya, nor to unify all institutions, particularly military and security bodies.
Later, Parliament will discuss 11th Judiciary Package, an omnibus bill proposed by ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The bill primarily focuses on readjusting release conditions for convicts.
Under the proposal, inmates convicted of crimes committed on or before July 31, 2023, excluding terrorism and organized crime, intentional killing of ascendants or descendants, siblings, spouses or former spouses, women, children or persons unable to defend themselves due to physical or mental conditions, as well as sexual assault and sexual abuse of children, will be eligible to transfer from high-security prisons to “open” prisons where they can take a weekend leave, and from open prisons to probation, up to three years earlier than scheduled probation date.
The bill also aims to curb the recruitment of minors by criminal gangs, something which became common in recent years. In cases where children are used as instruments in crimes committed within the framework of organized crime, the sentence imposed on ringleaders will be increased by between one-half and one-fold.
Also under the same bill, blank-firing guns will be included within the scope of the offense of deliberately endangering public safety. If the crime is committed using such weapons, offenders will face prison sentences ranging from six months to three years.
For injury caused by negligence, the minimum prison sentence will be increased from three months to four months, while the maximum sentence will rise from one year to two years.
In addition to hijacking or detaining transportation vehicles, obstructing the movement of transportation vehicles will also be criminalized, and penalties for these offenses will be increased. This proposal aims to address to increasingly common road rage incidents where drivers are attacked for opposing other motorists overtaking them or violating traffic safety rules.
