Arayuz Campaign

For the youth!

Arayuz Campaign

For the youth!

National Assembly in February: Youth Issues Factsheet

Notes

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 February, based on the officially published parliamentary transcripts. With this regular series, we aim to reflect how youth are positioned in parliamentary discourse and how Members of Parliament perceive youth issues.

In February, the Parliament discussed a law that includes amendments related to TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye). Both ruling and opposition MPs referred to youth within the context of this law. Additionally, on February 13, a parliamentary motion for research was submitted by Muğla MP Metin Ergun and 20 other MPs, aiming to investigate the reasons behind youth leaving the agricultural sector and to determine what needs to be done to rejuvenate the agricultural population. Thus, the issues of young farmers and challenges in rural areas were brought to the parliamentary agenda.

Key Themes

Challenges of Young Farmers and Rural-to-Urban Migration: The issue of youth distancing from agriculture and struggling to make a living was mentioned 6 times. One AKP MP responded to criticism by stating that necessary support is being provided to young farmers. Furthermore, the lack of education, infrastructure, and other services in rural areas forcing young people to migrate to big cities was discussed 5 times.

By party:

  • CHP: 4 times
  • DEM Party: 3 times
  • Felicity (Saadet) Party: 2 times
  • AKP: 2 times
  • İYİ Party: 1 time

TÜBİTAK and Support for Youth Development: Following the parliamentary debate on the TÜBİTAK law, support for young people, particularly in the field of technology, was mentioned 4 times. In response, opposition MPs pointed out deficiencies in this field 3 times.

By party:

  • CHP: 3 times
  • MHP: 3 times
  • AKP: 1 time

Debate on Youth Representation: A notable exchange occurred between CHP MP Aysu Bankoğlu and AKP MP Özlem Zengin regarding the right to be elected at a young age. Bankoğlu, who became an MP at 29, was told by Zengin that she should thank Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for this right, sparking a debate between the two MPs.

Other topics discussed in February include:

  • The effects of the earthquake on youth (mentioned twice – 1 İYİ Party, 1 DEVA)
  • The expulsion of young lieutenants (mentioned 6 times – 4 CHP, 1 İYİ Party, 1 AKP)
  • Lack of merit in recruitment and interviews (mentioned 7 times – 2 CHP, 1 AKP, 1 DEM Party, 1 DEVA, 1 MHP, 1 İYİ Party)

Notable Data

Youth-related topics were discussed 57 times in the Turkish Parliament during February.

By party:

  • CHP: 23 times
  • Felicity (Saadet) Party: 7 times
  • İYİ Party: 7 times
  • AKP: 6 times
  • MHP: 5 times
  • DEM Party: 4 times
  • DEVA Party: 4 times

The MPs who spoke most frequently on youth issues in February were Mehmet Mustafa Gürban (İYİ Party) and Necmettin Çalışkan (Saadet Party), with 3 speeches each.

Conclusion

The main youth-related topics in February were the challenges faced by young farmers and the supports provided to youth through TÜBİTAK. Alongside these, the monthly recurring concerns regarding meritless recruitment and interview processes were also discussed. Arayüz Campaign will continue to monitor and further analyze legislative developments affecting youth and youth representation in upcoming reports.

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