Turkey's CHP, MHP, HDP announce parliamentary speaker candidates

ANKARA

Deniz Baykal (L), Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu (C), and Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat.

Turkey's Republican People’s Party (CHP) has nominated its former chair Deniz Baykal as its candidate for the parliamentary speaker’s position, while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has picked Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, former head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Baykal, the former chairman of the CHP, was announced as the social democrat party’s candidate for the parliamentary speaker position, despite strong in-house criticism against him because of his controversial meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan following the June 7 election.

The decision on Baykal’s nomination was made during the Central Decision-Making Council (MYK) meeting of the CHP under the leadership of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Baykal, as the oldest member of parliament, chaired the assembly’s oath-taking ceremony and will stand as the acting parliamentary speaker until a permanent one is elected before July 3.

Baykal’s meeting with Erdoğan just three days after the June 7 election created a stir within the party, with claims the veteran politician made a fait accompli to his chairman. Baykal complained about harsh criticism directed toward him from his fellow party members at a meeting late June 22, followed by a private meeting with Kılıçdaroğlu.

The MHP, on the other hand, nominated İhsanoğlu as its candidate for the position. 

İhsanoğlu, who was elected as the MHP Istanbul deputy in the June 7 parliamentary election, individually filed his petition on June 24 in order to run for the position since political parties are not permitted to nominate candidates for this election.

İhsanoğlu was defeated in August 2014’s presidential bid against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan despite being the common nominee of both the MHP and the CHP.

HDP to support former deputy

The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has already made public that they will support their Mersin deputy, Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat, a former deputy and a founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), for the position.

So far, the only party which hasn’t announced its candidate is the AKP, which has the highest number of seats, despite having lost its parliamentary majority.

The deadline to apply for the parliamentary speaker’s position is June 27, with the voting process to begin June 30.