CHP’s candidate Baykal tours party leaders before speaker election

ANKARA

AFP photo

Republican People’s Party parliamentary speaker candidate Deniz Baykal paid courtesy visits to leaders of the three other political parties elected to parliament in the June 7 election on June 26, only a few days before the procedure for the parliament speaker’s election kicks off.

The office of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli was the first stop for Baykal, who was the previous leader of the CHP and now serves as acting parliamentary speaker as the eldest deputy.

“I conveyed to him my understanding in regards to management of parliamentary speaker’s office, how I have seen the political picture in Turkey and which responsibilities fall on our shoulders according to my opinion,” Baykal told reporters after one-hour-long closed-door meeting with Bahçeli.

Later in the day, Baykal paid visits to the prime minister and leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Ahmet Davutoğlu, and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş.

In a news report in the June 25 edition of daily Habertürk, Baykal was quoted as delivering confident comments on his chances of being elected.

“I believe that I will compete with the AKP’s candidate in the last round with the support that my party will lend,” Baykal was quoted as telling his inner circle, noting that he expected all deputies of the CHP to vote in favor of him.

“I believe that I will get support from the MHP and HDP too at that stage. If the AKP sets its parliamentary group free, I believe that I will be elected also by possible votes that would come from there,” he reportedly said.

The first and second rounds of election will take place on June 30. The third and fourth rounds, if necessary, will be held the following day.

The speaker is elected by secret ballot. Contenders have to reach a two-thirds majority in the first two rounds, while an absolute majority is sufficient in the third round of voting. None of the four political parties have a simple majority and in the highly likely case that an absolute majority is not obtained in the third ballot, a fourth ballot will take place between the two candidates who obtain the most votes. In the fourth ballot, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes will be elected speaker. In this case, a candidate from the AKP, because of its high number of seats, will most probably be elected if the three other parties cannot compromise and agree on a name.