Turkey: Parliament Speaker to Be Elected Today
Elections for Parliament speaker will be held today, with the ruling party’s candidate, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek emerging as the strongest nominee to assume the post.
In addition to the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP’s, candidate Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek, who officially applied to Parliament for the post Friday, Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, nominated Tunca Toskay for the post Saturday.
Zelkif Kazdal also applied for the post Saturday as the alternate nominee from the ranks of the AKP.
Çiçek, however, stands out as the most likely candidate for the post. Known for preserving his “balanced, negotiator, central” stance, Çiçek is expected to assume a mediator role in finding a solution to the latest Parliament boycott crisis by the opposition parties over their jailed deputies.
If elected, Çiçek is thus expected to meet the leading figures of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, in an effort to resolve the “oath crisis.”
The CHP is expected to attend the Parliament’s General Assembly in Parliament at 2 p.m. where the election to be held but will not vote.
In his initial remarks after applying to the post Friday, Çiçek likewise called on opposition to open a new page, reconsider their decision to boycott the oath-taking ceremony in Parliament and solve the problem in Parliament. Speaking to media Sunday, Çiçek reiterated that the opposition first attend the legislative works and voice their demands there.
The CHP has approached positively to Çiçek’s candidacy as CHP chief Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, speaking to journalists in Athens on Saturday, said they would be pleased if Çiçek would contribute to the solution of the problem. Kılıçdaroğlu earlier said Çiçek was an “experienced name” in politics and that he would well-manage the legislative power.
In order to be elected in the first two rounds, Çiçek needs two-thirds of the votes, meaning 367 deputies. The AKP has 327 seats. The MHP submitted its own candidate; therefore, if the CHP or the BDP do not submit their votes due to the oath boycott, Çiçek will need 276 votes in the third round in which he is expected to be elected.
July 3, 2011
SOURCE: Hürriyet Daily News
