At the first meeting of the commission held in the Turkish Parliament, the Speaker of the Parliament, Numan Kurtulmuş, submitted a 12-article draft outlining the procedures and principles. In the draft, he proposed naming the commission the “Commission for National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy.” The commission held discussions on the name, but since no vote has been taken yet, the name has not been finalized.
The other articles in the draft are as follows:
ARTICLE 2 – (1) The aim of the commission is to evaluate efforts in the fields of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law with the goal of completely removing terrorism from Turkey’s agenda, strengthening social cohesion, and consolidating national unity and brotherhood.
(2) The commission’s task is to identify the necessary issues in line with the purpose stated in the first paragraph, to conduct studies on draft legislative proposals, and to ensure that the public is informed about the process in question.
ARTICLE 3 – (1) The Chair of the Commission is the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). In the Speaker’s absence, a commission member assigned by the Speaker presides over the meeting. The member chairing the meeting in the Speaker’s place may vote.
ARTICLE 4 – (1) Commission members continue their duties throughout the commission’s working period. A political party may replace a commission member assigned to its quota by submitting a written notice to the Speaker of the TBMM.
(2) If a seat assigned to a political party becomes vacant, the relevant party must inform the Speaker of the TBMM of the new member to fill the vacancy as soon as possible.
ARTICLE 5 – (1) The commission is convened by the Speaker of the TBMM. The place, time, and agenda of the meeting are communicated to the members in this call.
(2) The commission may decide to hold meetings behind closed doors.
(3) The commission’s secretariat is provided by the Directorate of Laws and Decisions under the General Secretariat of the TBMM.
ARTICLE 6 – (1) The quorum for commission meetings is the absolute majority of the total number of members. Decisions regarding the preparation of draft laws are made by a three-fifths majority of those present. For other matters, a simple majority of those present is sufficient.
ARTICLE 7 – (1) Full transcripts are kept for commission meetings. The Chair decides whether the meeting transcripts will be made public.
(2) If deemed necessary, the commission may decide not to keep transcripts.
ARTICLE 8 – (1) To assist in the commission’s work and the preparation of draft laws, a sufficient number of legislative experts are assigned to the commission. If necessary, experts from other public institutions, universities, and NGOs may also be involved.
ARTICLE 9 – (1) Commission meetings may be attended by commission members as well as representatives from public institutions, universities, NGOs, and other relevant individuals invited in line with the meeting agenda.
ARTICLE 10 – (1) The Chair decides whether part or all of a meeting may be followed by the press.
ARTICLE 11 – (1) The commission will continue its work until December 31, 2025. Upon the expiration of this period, the commission may extend its term by up to two months at a time with a three-fifths majority vote of those present.
(2) The commission may also decide to terminate its work with the same three-fifths majority vote or by a decision of the Chair.
ARTICLE 12 – (1) For situations not addressed in these procedures and principles, the commission may determine its own procedure with a quorum decision.