Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, however, played down the CHP’s drive to have the proceedings nixed, saying that the opposition’s “unlawful requests” cannot stop parliamentary work.
“There are 326 [lawmakers of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)] and the figure for the opposition is obvious. The opposition is attempting to dominate those 326 even though it holds only half as many seats. We can’t allow the minority to dominate the majority,” Erdoğan told reporters yesterday.
The row over the education bill has dominated Ankara’s agenda since March 12, when the AKP rushed the draft through the Education Commission in a session marred by unprecedented brawls and squabbles. The tensions erupted after CHP lawmakers found themselves stuck at the door of the tiny room, packed in advance with AKP deputies. The commission’s chairman took advantage of the chaos and hurriedly read out the draft, which was approved by AKP votes in half an hour. The CHP has already asked Çiçek to nullify the proceedings on the grounds that basic procedural rules were violated.
