A parliamentary commission overseeing the government’s "terror-free Türkiye" initiative concluded its work on Feb. 18, presenting a 60-page final report outlining proposed "democratization" steps and legal reforms.
“Today we are going through a historic period regarding the issue of terrorism. Our parliament has undertaken its duty without hesitation,” Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, chair of the panel, said in his opening remarks.
Sections of the report covering legal regulation proposals, "democratization" steps and overall conclusions were read aloud during the commission’s final meeting. The document does not explicitly refer to the debated “right to hope” concept — a term associated with the possible release of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
It instead calls for stronger compliance with rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and Türkiye's Constitutional Court (AYM).
“Mechanisms to ensure full compliance with ECHR and AYM decisions should be strengthened, and effective new mechanisms should be created. It is recommended that obstacles to compliance with ECHR and AYM decisions stemming from administrative actions and judicial processes be removed,” the report said.
The text also described drafting a new constitution, a long-term objective of the ruling bloc, as “a shared duty and responsibility that cannot be postponed for our country.”
Momentum behind the initiative increased after Öcalan issued a call that prompted PKK to begin disarming. A first batch of members publicly destroyed weapons in July, and the terror group later announced it would withdraw from Turkish territory in October.
Proposed temporary legal regulations stipulate that disarmament must be confirmed by the executive branch through a monitoring mechanism run by “relevant executive bodies,” which would regularly report progress to parliament.
“The law should aim at reintegrating individuals who reject weapons and violence in society, permanently ending weapons and violence and bringing the issue entirely to a legal and political level,” the report said.
The document also proposes reorganizing the administrative system under higher legal standards “to strengthen the foundation of democratic politics.”
Among the recommendations is a legislative amendment allowing municipal councils to elect a mayor if an incumbent is removed from office — a situation that has affected several mayors from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
During the final meeting, the DEM Party objected to the absence of the phrase “Kurdish issue” in the report and criticized its framing of the matter as solely a terrorism problem. The CHP also noted that rulings of the Constitutional Court had not been followed in other cases.
The sequence leading to PKK’s congress — where it decided to dissolve itself — and the later establishment of the commission began with a parliamentary call by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli on Oct. 22, 2024. The panel was first convened on Aug. 5, 2025.
Following submission of the process report to the parliament presidency, legislative proposals are expected to move to the agenda depending on further steps in the disarmament process.
The İYİ (Good) Party remains the only major political party boycotting the initiative and declined to send representatives to the commission.
