Parliamentary speaker race begins in the Grand National Assembly: All eyes on the secret ballot

The General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) is convening today to elect the Speaker of Parliament for the second term of the 28th Legislative Period. The new speaker will be determined as a result of secret ballots to be held. Candidates from five different parties will compete in the election.

CANDIDATES CONFIRMED

The AK Party has re-nominated the current Speaker of Parliament, Numan Kurtulmuş. The CHP has nominated Artvin Deputy Uğur Bayraktutan; the DEM Party has nominated Diyarbakır Deputy Osman Cengiz Çandar; the IYI Party has nominated Istanbul Deputy Mustafa Cihan Paçacı; and the New Way Party (Yeni Yol Partisi) has nominated Samsun Deputy Mehmet Karaman as candidates for the Speakership of the TBMM.

TO BE ELECTED BY SECRET BALLOT

In accordance with the Constitution, the election will be held by secret ballot. In the first two rounds, a two-thirds majority of the total number of members, which is 400 votes, will be required. If this majority cannot be reached, an absolute majority of 301 votes will be sufficient in the third round. If no result is obtained there either, the candidate who receives the most votes in the fourth round, held between the two candidates who received the most votes, will be elected Speaker of Parliament.

Looking at the history of the TBMM, 30 different deputies have served as Speaker of Parliament to date. If a candidate other than the current speaker, Numan Kurtulmuş, is elected, the new speaker will be the 31st Speaker of the TBMM.

The first speaker of the TBMM and the founder of the Republic was Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The longest-serving speaker was Mustafa Abdülhalik Renda, who served uninterruptedly from 1935 to 1946. The shortest-serving individual was İsmet Sezgin, who sat in the speaker's chair for only 2 months and 1 week.

Istanbul stands out as the province that has produced the most TBMM Speakers to date. Ali Fethi Okyar, Kazım Karabekir, Ferruh Bozbeyli, İsmail Kahraman, and Numan Kurtulmuş, who were elected from Istanbul, have held this position.

News Source: 12punto