AKP did not recognize the decision of the Constitutional Court, which entered into force the port law

Despite the court decision, the AKP government extended the operational period of the ports to 49 years. According to the regulation promulgated in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on December 22, 2022, the companies that still operate the ports and which include Qatar’s Qterminals, as well as Limak, Ciner, Doğuş, Albayrak, will extend their period of operation to 49 years old without an offer, with an application to be made within 15 days.

The following statements were included in the law published in the Official Gazette:

“The contract periods of less than forty-nine years signed as a result of the privatization of some ports belonging to the Turkish Denizcilik İşletmeleri Anonim Şirketi and the General Directorate of State Railways of the Republic of Turkey, before the date of publication of this article and within the framework of the provisions of this Law, by the modality of granting/transmission of exploitation rights, will be limited to the duration of contracts of less than forty-nine years, counted from the date of publication of this Article provided that the application is submitted together with the documents approved by the authorized public accountants that show the financial information referred to in subparagraph a) of the fourth paragraph of this article, within fifteen days at the latest and the other conditions set forth in this article. Forty-nine years are fulfilled from the date of commencement of the right and for only one time.

THEY CAN OPERATE WITHOUT TENDERING UNTIL 2062

With the new regulation, the Qataris were given an additional 19 years of operation at the Port of Antalya. The way was cleared for the contract to be extended until 2047. Limak, one of the contractors described by the opposition as five gangs, was given an additional 13 years at the Port of Iskenderun. The contract was extended until 2046. PSA-Akfen, which operates the Mersin port, was allowed to operate the ports for an additional 13 years until 2061, and the Doğuş-Bilgili association, which operates the Galata port, until 2062, for an additional period of 19 years.

25 percent will be taken in advance

With the transitory article put in the law, the additional price of the contract can be paid in advance. If deferred payment is requested, 25 percent will be charged in advance on the date of signing the complementary contract.

The following statements were included in the article regarding payment:

“In the event that the deferred payment of the additional contract price determined in accordance with the fourth paragraph of this article is requested, at least twenty-five percent of the price will be paid in advance on the date of signing the contract. the complementary contract, and the amount that remains to expire is paid in a maximum term of thirty-six months and in equal installments, provided that the payment is made once every twelve months. It is paid on the amount together with the differences of expiration to be calculated from the payment dates.”

“CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CANCELED, I AM SHAME”

During the process of promulgating the regulation, the opposition directed harsh criticism.
CHP Istanbul Adjunct Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kaboğlu said: “I am ashamed that such a legal regulation has reached our agenda despite the decision of the Constitutional Court, I am ashamed, I cannot find a word to say. Let’s not be complicit in this collective crime, let’s not commit such a constitutional crime, please,” he said.

“THE SECRET OF WORK IS QA”

HDP Istanbul MP ​​Ali Kenanoğlu stressed that the ports must be operated by the public, saying: “The secret of the matter has been revealed. As a result of the president’s visit to Qatar, money is needed before the elections.” . This is where the law is needed,” he said.