Parliament to vote on new presidential council members

ANKARA

Türkiye’s parliament will vote on new members to its presidential council as it resumes legislative work on June 11 following the Eid al-Adha recess.

Lawmakers are expected to vote on candidates for four deputy speakers, secretaries and administrative chiefs for the second term of the 28th legislative period. The total number of presidential council members will rise from 21 to 22.

Numan Kurtulmuş, a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy, was reelected as parliament speaker in a vote held on June 3. Party-proposed candidates for the council will be announced before a plenary vote for approval.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) named lawmaker Tekin Bingöl for the deputy speaker post. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) reappointed MP Celal Adan, while the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) named MP Pervin Buldan.

Meanwhile, the parliament’s specialized and research committees will resume their activities. A group investigating recent agricultural frost will hear from representatives of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), the Chamber of Agricultural Engineers and academic experts.

The committee probing the deadly hotel fire at a ski resort in the northwestern city of Bolu is nearing the end of its mandate and will finalize the issues to be included in its forthcoming report. The incident claimed dozens of lives and injured many.

Among the bills scheduled for discussion is a presidential decree that would amend the rank waiting periods in the armed forces to address personnel shortages or surpluses within various commands.

In higher education, a proposed regulation would cap the number of foreign academic staff hired on a contractual basis at no more than 2 percent of the total full academic staff positions.