The Parliament of Turkey
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Page Posted by Jeffrey Carr
The legislative power of the country of Turkey belongs to its parliament. The parliament of Turkey is officially called the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.The parliament is unicameral and led by the speaker of the parliament, not a prime minister. By contrast, the United States Congress is bicameral.The Senate and the House of Representatives are two separate legislative bodies. Members of the Turkish parliament are voted in by the people and have legislative immunity.The Turkish Grand National Assembly also has several powers and functions.
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[edit] Electing Parliament Members
There are 550 members from 85 electoral districts that represent 81 provinces in Turkey.Citizens have to be 18 years of age to vote in the parliamentary elections. Citizens who want to run for a parliamentary membership must be 30 years old.The candidate must also have completed primary school. Members are elected to serve a 5-year term.There is a mid-term election in the 5-year period if 5% of the seats have been vacated. The elections are held to replace the open seats.
[edit] Legislative Immunity
Members of Turkey’s parliament are given legislative immunity. Members “shall not be liable for their votes and statements concerning parliamentary functions, for the views they express before the Assembly, or unless the Assembly decides otherwise on the proposal of the Bureau for that sitting, for repeating or revealing these outside the Assembly.”If an offense is alleged to have been committed, the member cannot be arrested, detained, interrogated or tried unless the Assembly decides otherwise. If a member is convicted of a crime, any sentence is to be delayed until the member is no longer serving.
[edit] Powers and Functions
Of all the functions and powers of the Turkish parliament, making laws and supervising are its main functions. Other duties of the parliament are decisions on printing currency, declaring war, exercising functions in the constitution, giving authority to the Council of Ministers to issue governmental decrees having force of law on certain matters, and ratifying international agreements.
[edit] Committees
Committees “constitute the foundation for the legislative and supervisory activities of the Assembly.”There are 17 committees in the Turkish parliament. Each takes interest in a specific field.This way select groups concentrating on specific problems plaguing the country in many different areas can do more.
[edit] Enacting Laws in Parliament
To enact laws in Turkey the parliament has to go through several stages.First a member must propose the law. The legislation is then sent to the committee that it relates to.The committee will then discuss and vote on it. If the committee approves it, the proposed law eventually makes its way to the General Assembly agenda.It is then debated and voted on in parliament. If it is passed, the legislation is then sent to the President of the Republic for signing.If the president does not sign it he can send it back for more debate. If the legislation comes back to the president unchanged, he is then forced to sign it into law.
[edit] Parliament’s Influence on Business
Since parliament is the legislative body of Turkey it has the right to enact laws concerning foreign business.Naturally, if one wants to do business in Turkey it is necessary to check current Turkish laws and stay informed on developments. Recently, Turkish parliament has voted to send troops into neighboring Iraq in response of Kurdish rebels killing Turkish citizens.Turkey has not yet acted on the authorization, but at this point, conducting business in Turkey may be a big risk.
[edit] Source
http://www.tbmm.gov.tr/english/about_tgna.htm.
