Election process for Parliament speaker begins monday

Since the term of the current parliament speaker, Cemil Cicek, will end on July 4, the election process for a new speaker starts on Monday. Cicek is the 25th speaker of parliament. The elections for the parliament speaker are held in every two years. The candidates for the position of parliament speaker should apply to the office of the presidency of Parliament by Friday, June 28. The elections will be held in a closed parliamentary session on Tuesday, July 2. In the first two voting sessions, a two-thirds vote of Parliament is required to be elected. If no one gets the required vote in two sessions, a third will be held and the candidate who receives the simple majority will be elected. In the event that no simple majority is provided in the third session, a fourth session will be held between the two candidates who received the most votes. The candidate who receives the most votes in the fourth session will be elected the speaker. The elections for the deputy speaker of Parliament will also be held this week. Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Guldal Mumcu, who has been serving in this position for the last two terms, is expected to run for office again. Another CHP deputy, Oktay Eksi, announced his candidacy for the same position in a letter he sent to Parliament on Saturday. As the end of the legislative year approaches, the parties will determine the members who will manage the party groups within Parliament for the next two years. The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) are not expected to change the current position holders. However, fierce competition is expected within the Republican People's Party (CHP). Reportedly, the fact that CHP Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu did not designate any candidates will lead many names to run for the position of parliamentary group deputy chairman. Fifteen CHP deputies, including Hursit Gunes, Mahmut Tanal, Ali Riza Ozturk, Engin Altay, Muslim Sari, Aykut Erdogdu and Veli Agbaba are preparing for the election. The current parliamentary group deputy chairmen of the CHP, Muharrem Ince, Akif Hamzacebi and Emine Ulker Tarhan are also lobbying for re-election according to reports. Although the CHP holds 134 seats in the parliament, only 132 deputies are eligible to vote because Ergenekon suspects Mehmet Haberal and Mustafa Balbay are in prison. Domestic political analysts in Ankara believe that the competition between the nationalists and reformists within the CHP will be decisive in the elections. The CHP election will be on Wednesday. The AK Party is planning to hold the intra-party election on Friday in a closed party group meeting. The MHP and Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) will determine candidates this week in closed meetings as well.