Former CHP leader to be acting speaker


According to the unofficial results of Sunday's highly competitive general elections, four parties – the AK Party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) – will be represented in Parliament, and none of the parties are able to form a government alone. The 25th Parliament is to start holding sessions after the announcement of the official results by the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK). In his statement, YSK head Sadi Güven said that the official results will be announced in 10 or 12 days.

Until the election of a speaker of Parliament, the eldest deputy will assume the role. Oldest among his colleagues, the 77-year-old former CHP chairman, Deniz Baykal, will act as the speaker of Parliament.

The speaker has to be elected within five days starting from the first session of the new parliamentary term. In the first round of the elections, two thirds of the total votes will be needed for a deputy to be elected speaker. If this cannot be achieved, in the second round a simple majority of the votes is needed. Again, if none of the candidates can satisfy this condition, in the third round, the two candidates who received the most votes will compete against each other. Finally, in the fourth round, among the two candidates, the deputy who gets the most votes will become speaker.