Candidates submit applications for Turkey's parliament speaker election
ANKARA
Mustafa Şentop
Candidates seeking to become Turkey’s next parliament speaker have submitted their applications to interim speaker Celal Adan.
Parliament is set to elect its new speaker on Feb. 24, as the former head, Binali Yıldırım, resigned from his post to run for Istanbul mayor in the upcoming March 31 local elections.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) chose Deputy Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop as its candidate for the speaker’s post.
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), as part of its “People’s Alliance” with the ruling party, announced it will endorse the AKP’s candidate.
The “Nation Alliance,” set up by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and İYİ (Good) Party, have not presented a joint candidate, both deciding to put forth their own candidates.
The CHP determined its candidate as MP Engin Altay.
Altay, who has been in Turkish politics for many years, is open-minded and has accomplished exemplary diplomacy with other political parties, CHP group deputy chair Engin Özkoç said.
İYİ Party, on the other hand, has proposed its deputy İmam Hüseyin Filiz as its candidate.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) presented former co-chair Serpil Kemalbay for the speaker’s post.
The General Assembly will convene for the elections on Feb. 24 before breaking for a 15-day recess to continue its works on March 12.
In the first two rounds of Sunday’s election, at least 401 out of 600 deputies’ votes are needed to win the speaker’s post.
In a third round, if necessary, only 301 votes are needed, and in a possible fourth round, a simple majority is sufficient to win.
