Parliament on Wednesday accepted the resignation for health reasons of main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) lawmaker Şafak Pavey.

Pavey, a CHP deputy from the Istanbul province, submitted a petition to step down on Sept. 15.

Pavey won her seat in 2011, making her the first disabled woman to serve in Turkish parliament.

She is also a member of the U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and worked in the U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR.

In 2012, the U.S. State Department gave Pavey an International Women of Courage Award.

Pavey, who lost an arm and a leg in a 1996 train accident, also worked internationally for the adoption and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

With Pavey's resignation, the CHP now holds 131 seats in Turkey's 550-seat parliament.