Objection from DEM Party to the cancellation of indefinite alimony

04.06.2026 14:20

Following the Constitutional Court's annulment of the regulation on 'indefinite poverty alimony,' which affects millions, the DEM Party strongly criticized the decision. Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit emphasized that alimony is not a favor but an acquired right for women, stating that they will not accept any new regulation that deepens women's poverty.

The Constitutional Court's cancellation, by a majority vote, of the indefinite alimony practice in the Turkish Civil Code, which has been a long-standing topic of public debate, has also become the top political agenda item. After it was announced that the cancellation ruling would take effect nine months later, DEM Party Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit shared her party's stance on the decision via her social media account (X).

"UNEQUAL SOCIAL CONDITIONS ARE BEING IGNORED"

Arguing that the cancellation decision is disconnected from Turkey's social realities, Koçyiğit opposed attempts to abolish or limit alimony. In her statement, Koçyiğit said, "The Constitutional Court's decision on poverty alimony cannot be evaluated independently of the unequal social conditions in which women in Turkey find themselves."

"WE DO NOT ACCEPT REGULATIONS THAT CONDEMN WOMEN TO VIOLENCE AND DEPENDENCY"

Emphasizing that no approach that does not focus on women's economic independence can produce justice, Koçyiğit concluded her remarks with a warning about the new legal regulations expected to come before Parliament:

"Alimony is not a favor but a fundamental right. We will closely monitor the reasoned decision and the subsequent legal regulations in terms of women's acquired rights. We will not accept any regulation that deepens women's poverty or condemns women to relationships of violence and dependency."

During the nine-month transition period granted by the Constitutional Court, the new legal regulation to be made by Parliament is expected to spark intense debates, particularly between women's rights advocates and opposition parties on one side and the government on the other.