Şahali: "Despite Özdenefe's Presence, Parliament Remains Unable to Function"

Referring to UBP MPs Ziya Öztürkler and Sunat Atun’s characterization of Deputy Speaker Fazilet Özdenefe’s role in convening the session as an “occupation,” Şahali clarified, “From day one, we have stated our commitment to protecting Parliament. It has become evident that procedural obstructions are being placed to prevent a lawful session. As our leader Tufan Erhürman has emphasized, only Özdenefe, as the legally elected Deputy Speaker, has the authority to open Parliament sessions.”

Şahali highlighted that although Özdenefe is actively on duty, parliamentary operations remain stalled. “After Özdenefe’s brief recess due to a lack of quorum, certain parliamentary staff abandoned their posts, violating legal protocols,” he said. He condemned the government and coalition partners for a legal breach, calling their insistence on Öztürkler’s alleged election as Speaker a deliberate defiance of parliamentary law.

“This disregard for the law should not be accepted by anyone,” he stated. “They are attempting to finalize a process by declaring an unelected Speaker. We are here to uphold parliamentary integrity. If this threshold is crossed, the very privacy and meaning of elections will be altered. We believe in democracy as a virtue and are determined to fulfill our duty to protect Parliament.”