Turkey's cross party Kurdish peace coalition makes history with PKK clemency law

Turkey's cross party Kurdish peace coalition makes history with PKK clemency law Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 10:49 Landmark legislation granting limited clemency to PKK members wins unprecedented support across the political spectrum, opening a path to ending four decades of conflict Turkish Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli (centre) shakes hands with Pervin Buldan (centre left), an MP of the Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party after voting on the bill at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara on 10 August (AFP/Adem Altan) Off It would have been unimaginable three years ago to see lawmakers from Turkey's ruling coalition pose in parliament alongside pro-Kurdish MPs and other opposition politicians after voting to grant partial clemency to members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). But that's exactly what has happened after a historic vote. For the first time in Turkey's modern history, the government introduced legislation establishing a framework for resolving its conflict with the PKK - and potentially ending nearly four decades of fighting.