ANKARA (AFP) - The Turkish parliament went into recess until October 1, leaving a crucial penal code reform package in limbo and unlikely to be enacted before the release of a vital EU report on whether or not to start membership talks with Turkey.
The EU Commission report is scheduled for October 6, but the first 10 days of the session are taken up by elections to the post of speaker and to various committees that enable the house to function.
This means that the bill aiming to overhaul the country`s 78-year-old criminal code and bring it up to European standards stands little chance of being enacted before the EU report date, unless the parliament is once again called into emergency session before October 1.
On Saturday morning, Parliament closed automatically until its official starting date of October 1 when, after the sitting was declared open, the roll call revealed that the quorum of 184 had not been reached.
The reform package was almost complete, with 343 of its 346 articles voted in record time, when the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan unexpectedly blocked it on Thursday, in what observers saw as a move to reintroduce a clause that would make adultery a punishable crime.
The move came under fire Friday from the EU Commission, which will pen the October 6 report to serve as a basis for EU leaders to decide on December 17 whether or not a date should be set for the start of membership talks with Turkey.
Erdogan responded sharply, telling the EU not to meddle in his country`s domestic affairs.
EU officials have warned that the penal code reform is a key element of Turkey`s efforts to achieve European standards and that the freeze put on it by Erdogan and his AKP would reflect badly in the Commission rreport.