Türkİye, Politics

Turkish parliament set to debate anti-terror bill

Lawmakers to also debate another bill on military service

23.07.2018 - Update : 23.07.2018
Turkish parliament set to debate anti-terror bill

By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA

The parliament will debate an anti-terror bill and another bill on military service before its summer recess until Oct. 1.

The General Assembly will first debate the anti-terror bill regarding Turkey's fight against terrorism after the end of state of emergency in the country.

The anti-terror bill calls for giving governors and security forces certain powers for three more years that they exercised under the state of emergency.

The bill also authorizes the government to dismiss personnel of Turkish Armed Forces, police and gendarmerie departments, and public servants and workers if they are found to be linked to a terror organization.

Turkey lifted its two-year-old state of emergency on Thursday at 1 a.m. local time (2200 GMT Wednesday).

The government declared a state of emergency for the first time on July 20, 2016, following a defeated coup orchestrated by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Also on Monday, the parliament's Planning and Budget Commission will also debate a bill that would enable Turkish citizens to carry out their military service for just 21 days instead of 5.5 or 12 months depending on them being graduates if they pay a certain amount of money.

According to the regulation, citizens born before Dec. 31, 1993 would be required to do military service for just 21 days if they pay 15,000 Turkish liras ($3,141) instead of the usual service.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) demand that a citizen who pays this amount should not be required to even do the 21-day long military service.

The bill is expected to be debated in the General Assembly this week after it goes through the commission.

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