Parliament to reopen with focus on new traffic laws

ANKARA

Türkiye's parliament is set to resume its legislative session on Jan. 6 following a New Year's recess, with a dense agenda featuring sweeping changes to traffic safety laws, minimum wage subsidies and social media restrictions for minors.

A primary focus for the general assembly this year is a new traffic law proposal aimed at curbing repeat offenses.

Under the proposed rules, drivers caught operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol will face immediate license revocation, according to a report from daily Hürriyet.

Red light violations are also under scrutiny, as any driver who runs a red light six times within a single year will have their license permanently cancelled.

The bill further tightens speed limits near sensitive zones like schools and hospitals, where the limit is set at 30 km/h.

Legislators are also expected to codify an increase in minimum wage support payments this week. The subsidy provided to employers will rose from 1,101 Turkish Liras to 1,270 liras to offset the new national minimum wage. Effective Jan. 1, the monthly minimum wage in Türkiye rose from 22,104 liras to 28,075 liras ($652).

Parliament will also address a growing crisis involving exorbitant apartment maintenance fees. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has reportedly drafted a regulation to ensure that monthly maintenance fees do not exceed the cost of a unit's rent following widespread public complaints.

Meanwhile, a pending regulation nearing completion is expected to increase maternity leave from 16 weeks to 24 weeks and extend paternity leave to 10 days.

In an effort to combat digital addiction, the government is expected to move to restrict social media use for children under the age of 16. The proposed measures include mandatory identity verification for users and stricter content moderation requirements for platforms.