20 November 2017•Update: 21 November 2017
By Emin Avundukluoglu
ANKARA
Turkish parliament on Monday reelected Justice and Development (AK) Party lawmaker Ismail Kahraman as speaker.
He received 289 votes in the third round of voting by the Grand National Assembly of 550 seats.
Speaking to lawmakers following the election, Kahraman called on the political parties to bring the adjustment laws to parliament's agenda.
In the coming term, Turkish Parliament will focus on adjustment laws to move Turkey to a presidential system of government.
"I would like to say that the unity among the parties on the adjustment laws, bylaw and related regulations is very important," said Kahraman.
Kahraman criticized a campaign to discredit the Turkish parliament.
"Those, who wanted to discredit our parliament, are the people who could not absorb the democracy and have anti-democratic thoughts."
Responding to journalists questions in the parliament, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Leader Devlet Bahceli congratulated Ismail Kahraman for being reelected as the speaker.
Bahceli recalled that all parties in the parliament attended the election with their own candidates. "We wish that the result would lead to charity of our nation," he said.
Kahraman, a veteran Justice and Development (AK) Party’s member from Rize province, holds the second highest position in the home province of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Two-year term
He previously served at the labor and culture ministries as undersecretary and minister, respectively.
The incumbent speaker's two-year term started in November 2015, and he will conduct his duty until 2019 general elections.
Turkish parliament elects its speaker two times in a legislative term between two general elections.
He was a culture minister between 1996 and 1997 and previously a deputy in Turkey’s 20th and 21st parliaments.
Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Zekeriya Temizel got 124 votes, while Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) candidate Celal Adan received 36 votes.
The candidate of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selma Irmak, who was sentenced on Nov. 3 to 10 years in prison on terrorism charges, bagged 37 votes.
Good Party candidate Yusuf Halacoglu got seven votes.
AK Party holds 316 seats, CHP 131, HDP 54, MHP 36 and Good Party have 5 seats in the parliament.
In the first two rounds of voting, successful candidates would have needed the support of at least 367 lawmakers.
In a third round of voting, a minimum of 276 votes was needed.
