13 September 2011 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
The pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party's (BDP) council announced on Monday that the decision will be left to BDP deputies, who refused to be sworn in after the general election, whether to take the parliamentary oath when Parliament returns to session after the summer recess.
The decision be to sworn in to Parliament has been left by the BDP to its deputies following meetings of the party council and central executive board on Sept. 10 and 11, and a BDP general meeting on Sept. 4. BDP deputies have until Parliament opens on Oct. 1 to make their decisions.
The BDP made the announcement following the two-day meetings that it will leave the decision up to the party's deputies to decide whether or not to continue the BDP's boycott of Parliament. The boycott is in protest of a decision made by the Supreme Election Board (YSK) not to allow one of their party's elected deputies, Hatip Dicle, to serve due to an earlier conviction for “disseminating propaganda for an armed terrorist organization, the Kurdistan Worker's Party [PKK].” If BDP representatives fail to attend five consecutive sessions, the General Administrative Board may revoke their representation.
