Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM)

APPROXIMATE COMMITTEE SIZE: 100 single DELEGATIONS

The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is the supreme parliamentary power in the nation, consisting of 600 elected deputies that represent the public’s views and concerns. It has four main functions: legislation, representation, scrutiny, and government formation. For the TBMM, Topic A is the question of aligning Türkiye with the West or East, as the nation has been torn between aligning itself with its Western partners in the EU and its Eastern neighbors. The TBMM will navigate this division, paving a way forward for Türkiye’s domestic and foreign policies. Another tension, Topic B, is the current levels of journalistic freedom in the nation. Türkiye ranks 149th out of over 180 countries in regards to freedom of the press, partially due to recent censorship laws and political crackdowns on major media groups. The MPs of this committee must find a way to restore the Turkish constitutional promise of free press while remaining wary of misinformation and attempts to undermine political legitimacy.

Chairs: Clara Evans & Rachel Calderone

TOPICS

Topic A: Navigating Tensions Between Eastern and Western Alliances

Topic B: Freedom of Turkish Press and Media

lEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand the wider complexities of Türkiye’s foreign relations and political goals.

  • Develop a profound understanding of the parliamentary and judicial system of Türkiye as well as understand the topical and specific needs of the body’s constituents.

  • Confront contemporary issues and systemic inequalities within Türkiye’s political system and devise human-focused solutions to solving them.

about the chairs

Clara Evans is a member of the class of 2026 in the Walsh School of Foreign Service studying International Political Economy with a minor in French and a certificate in Diplomatic Studies. This will be her 3rd time staffing NAIMUN, and she is super excited to use all that she’s learned in her Turkish Foreign Policy class to prompt discussion in TBMM! Outside of NAIMUN, she is involved with the Georgetown Center for Social Justice and works at both Yates Field House and Georgetown’s Office of Residential Life. She is from Columbus, Ohio, but is also a citizen of the United Kingdom. You can generally find her enjoying a Corp matcha while poring over econ readings in Lau. In her free time, she enjoys browsing the snack aisles at Trader Joe’s, watching Seinfeld, and looking at pictures of her cat Herman. 

Rachel Calderone is a member of the class of 2026 at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs with a concentration in Biotechnology and Global Health on the pre-med track and minoring in Spanish. She is from Medway, MA and is excited to serve as Co-Chair for the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye!