Kurtulmuş meets DEM Party ahead of reelection vote

ANKARA

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş completed his tour of political parties on June 2, a day before lawmakers are set to vote on whether he will continue in his post.

Kurtulmuş's first stop was the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on June 2, where discussions focused on the government’s "terror-free Türkiye" initiative. The process included PKK's decision to disband itself.

"We had a constructive exchange of ideas. We discussed the fulfillment of the responsibilities of the TBMM [Turkish parliament] in terms of ridding Türkiye of terror and ensuring unity," Kurtulmuş said during a joint press statement with DEM Party co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları.

"We think that all political parties should adopt a constructive tone and make the best use of this historical opportunity."

Kurtulmuş began his outreach with a visit to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) on May 28. He also held meetings with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on May 30.

The speaker met with officials from the İYİ (Good) Party and the New Path Party later on June 2. The former stands out as the sole major party in parliament firmly opposed to the new peace initiative with PKK.

The renewed political dialogue with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan became possible after MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli suggested he could address parliament if he publicly condemned terrorism.

As Kurtulmuş's term is set to expire on June 7, political parties lined up their candidates for the speaker’s role. The AKP has renominated Kurtulmuş, while the CHP has nominated Uğur Bayraktutan, who launched his own round of party visits on June 2 to rally support.

The DEM Party named Cengiz Çandar as its candidate, the İYİ Party put forward Cihan Paçacı and the New Path Party selected Mehmet Karaman.

The speaker election is scheduled for June 3, with voting conducted by secret ballot. The first two rounds require a two-thirds majority of the total members of parliament, while the third round requires an absolute majority.

If no candidate secures a majority by the third round, a fourth round will take place between the top two candidates, with the one receiving the most votes elected as speaker.