National Assembly in April: Youth Issues Factsheet
This information note summarizes the prominent themes, discussions, and key data related to youth in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) for the month of April, based on the officially published parliamentary transcripts. During April, youth-related topics were discussed 49 times in Parliament. The main issue was youth activism, their demands, and subsequent arrests. Opposition MPs criticized the ruling party and the government 26 times for the unjust detention of young people exercising their democratic rights. Meanwhile, AKP and MHP MPs argued 5 times that the protests were criminalized by political parties, thereby justifying state interventions and arrests. In addition to this main theme, the Climate Law Proposal was discussed in April, during which concerns about leaving a livable future for the youth were also raised.
Key Themes
Youth Activism, Demands, and Arrests: In April, the demands of young people and their unjust detentions/arrests were brought to the parliamentary agenda 26 times. By party:
- CHP: 13 times
- İYİ Party: 7 times
- DEM Party: 3 times
- Felicity (Saadet) Party: 2 times
- DEVA Party: 1 time
Project-based appointments in high schools were also mentioned twice in Parliament. Yılmaz Hun from the DEM Party and Metin İlhak from CHP spoke on this issue.
Claim of Criminalization of Protests:
AKP and MHP MPs explained the state’s harsh interventions and the arrests of young people by stating that the protests were criminalized by politicians. In this context, they also celebrated the anniversary of the Police Organization and claimed that police officers were subjected to physical violence. By party:
- AKP: 3 times
- MHP: 2 times
Climate Law Proposal: During the discussion of the proposal in April, concerns about leaving a hopeful future for the youth were voiced. Two CHP MPs (İlhami Özcan Aygun and Semra Dinçer) linked climate issues with youth.
Decree Amendment Proposal Concerning Public Recruitment: A decree amendment regarding public employment was discussed in the TBMM. In this context, the lack of merit in recruitment and interview processes was criticized 5 times by opposition MPs. By party:
- İYİ Party: 2 times
- CHP: 1 time
- DEM Party: 1 time
- Felicity (Saadet) Party: 1 time
Notable Data
Youth-related topics were brought up 49 times in the Turkish Parliament during April. By party:
- CHP: 20 times
- İYİ Party: 11 times
- DEM Party: 6 times
- AKP: 5 times
- DEVA Party: 3 times
- Felicity (Saadet) Party: 2 times
- MHP: 2 times
The MPs who spoke most frequently on youth issues in April were Birol Aydın (Felicity Party), Buğra Kavuncu (İYİ Party), and Ersin Beyaz (İYİ Party), each with 2 speeches.
Conclusion
As in March, youth protests continued to dominate the parliamentary agenda on youth in April. The expression of demands by young people through the exercise of their democratic rights, and the resulting interventions and arrests, remained the primary focus of youth-related discussions in Parliament. Additionally, concerns regarding the lack of merit in public sector recruitment processes affecting young people were also raised. Arayüz Campaign will continue to examine these issues in more detail in future reports.