site.btaTurkiye’s New Cabinet Takes Oath of Office

The members of Turkiye's new Cabinet took their oaths of office in Parliament in Ankara on Wednesday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday unveiled the cabinet after he was sworn in as president following his May 28 reelection victory.

The 18-member Cabinet, including Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, held its first meeting on Tuesday under Erdogan's chairmanship.

After the oath the first round of election of new Parliament speaker began. There are seven candidates for the post.

These include Numan Kurtulmus, joint nominee of the People’s Alliance of the  Justice and Development (AK) Party and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP); Tekin Bingol from the Republican People's Party (CHP), Tulay Hamitogullari Oruc from the Green Left Party (YSP), Mustafa Cihan Pacaci from the IYI (Good) Party, Mustafa Yeneroglu from the Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party, and Serap Yazici Ozbudun from the Gelecek (Future) Party.

In addition, Turkiye Labor Party (TIP) nominated MP Serafettin Can Atalay for candidacy to the general secretariat of the parliament. Curently Atalay is imprisoned for his participation in the Gezi Park protests of 2013.

Kurtulmus may be elected as early as the first round on Wednesday as the People’s Alliance has the necessary majority.

According to the Turkish Constitution, the parliament speaker is elected via secret ballot up to four rounds – as many as are necessary – on a single day. 

In the first two rounds, the candidates will seek two-thirds majority (400) in the 600-seat parliament.

If the election goes to a third round, a simple majority – 301 votes – is sufficient to name the new speaker who will undertake the role for two years.