Turkey's Parliament Extends State of Emergency

Turkey's state of emergency will be extended for an additional three months, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus announced following a Cabinet meeting.

    Kurtulmus informed reporters of the minister's decisions regarding the state of emergency extension on January 19 for 90 days, with parliament’s approval.

    According to the Constitution, a state of emergency can be declared for a maximum of six months, but can also be extended as needed. The Parliament must ratify the measure, and the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party has a comfortable majority for passage, Turkey's Anadolu Agency stated.

    To enact the state of emergency, the government must see serious indications of widespread violence that could interfere with Turkey's democratic environment or its citizens' basic rights and freedoms as established by the Constitution.

Source: QNA