AKP nominates Kahraman for second term as parliament speaker

ANKARA

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has nominated Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman for a second term in his position following a series of in-house consultations. 

Kahraman is an Istanbul deputy from the ranks of the AKP, who has been serving as the 27th parliament speaker since November 2015. Elections for the position of parliament speaker will take place on Nov. 20. Once elected, a parliament speaker serves a term of two years.

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been conducting intense consultations with his party’s lawmakers since last week in order to decide whether to continue with Kahraman or to appoint a new figure for the position. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ and deputy AKP leader Hayati Yazıcı were among prominent AKP officials who were potential candidates.

Erdoğan held a meeting with Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım earlier in the day before news broke out that Kahraman would be the AKP’s candidate for the post.

Kahraman, 77, spent a few months in the hospital earlier this year due to a serious vein infection.

Other candidates

The main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) nominee for parliament speaker is İzmir Deputy Zekeriya Temizel, who served as finance minister in the mid-1990s.

The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has announced that Hakkari MP Selma Irmak, who is currently in prison, will apply to run in the elections next week. The running candidate from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is Istanbul MP Celal Adan.

A candidate needs to receive support from two thirds of lawmakers in the first two rounds of elections. In the third and fourth round, the absolute majority will suffice. The AKP, which has 316 seats in parliament, will be able to elect Kahraman as parliament speaker in the third round.