Parliamentary swearing-in ceremony expected on June 1
ANKARA
Preparations for the 28th term of the Turkish assembly are in full swing, with the parliamentary swearing-in ceremony expected to take place on June 1, pending the final official results of the May 14 election.
The parliament administration is meticulously fine-tuning the sitting arrangement and will conduct a lottery in which party leaders will not participate, including New Welfare Party (YRP) Chair Fatih Erbakan as he will be assigned the chamber previously occupied by Great Union Party (BBP) leader Mustafa Destici, who was unable to secure a seat as a deputy this term.
The seating draw will be based on a plan that lists parties from left to right as the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Green Left Party (YSP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and İYİ (Good) Party groups.
YRP, Democratic Left Party (DSP) and Free Cause Party (Hüda-Par) lawmakers will be seated in the back section between the AKP and CHP. Meanwhile, DEVA, Future Party, Workers’ Party of Türkiye (TİP) and Felicity Party will occupy seats behind the YSP and MHP rows.
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli will assume the role of interim speaker of the parliament and will appear on the stage dressed in a suit, as the obligation to wear a frock coat has been abolished with recent changes in the bylaws.
During the ceremony, Bahçeli will be vigilant to ensure that pro-Kurdish YSP and Hüda-Par deputies adhere to the oath. Those who fail to comply with the constitution and bylaws will be required to repeat the oath.
Newly elected deputies will be cautioned if they choose to bring the Quran to the rostrum or fail to wear a tie, which is mandatory according to the bylaws.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, the first order of business for the parliament will be to elect the speaker. The nomination process will commence upon the opening of the parliament, with candidates having five days to submit their applications. The election will conclude within the subsequent five days.
The constitution requires a two-thirds majority (401 votes) in the first two rounds of the speaker’s election, while a simple majority (301 votes) is sufficient in the third round.
Then, the formation of the assembly presidency council and commissions will begin. The allocation of memberships to each party group will be determined by the number of deputies they have.
Accordingly, the People’s Alliance led by the AKP and the MHP is expected to maintain a favorable distribution of positions, as was the case in the 27th term.
