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Turkey's parliament comes to blows over Erdogan-enabling reforms

Proposed constitutional reforms have sparked all-out brawling in Turkey's parliament, complete with physical and verbal attacks on female opposition figures.
Lawmakers from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and ruling AK Party (R) scuffle during a debate on a legislation to boost police powers, at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara late February 19, 2015 AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN        (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

For the past 10 days, Turkey's parliament has been going through the painstaking, and literally painful, process of amending the constitution. If approved, the amendments will clip parliament’s power extensively while providing unchecked freedoms to the executive branch.

This process is taking place as the country is still under emergency law and 11 members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) are in jail. Only the left-wing parties — the HDP and the Republican People's Party (CHP) — oppose the reform proposal, and their numbers are not sufficient.

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