ANKARA
Justice and Development (AK) Party deputy Ismet Yilmaz was elected Turkey's new parliamentary speaker on Wednesday.
Yilmaz, a defense minister in the previous AK Party government, received 258 votes in the fourth and final round of two-days’ voting among the Grand National Assembly’s 550 lawmakers.
Three deputies did not vote in the last round and 29 cast blank ballots. A further 78 were declared invalid leaving Deniz Baykal of the Republican People's Party (CHP) to take 182 votes.
Two other candidates - Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) - were knocked out in the third round when none of the candidates secured a simple majority.
Speaking after the vote, Yilmaz, 53, said parliament’s first priority should be constitutional change.
“The first thing the Turkish people expect from parliament is a new constitution," he told deputies. “The new constitution is our common responsibility.”
He added: "Our country's economic and democratic levels necessitate a new constitution. There is an agreement on the need for a new constitution in our society. We should form the new constitution together with regard to essential elements of democratic constitutions such as the rule of law, human rights, the separation of powers and pluralism.”
Yilmaz did not specify the constitutional change he envisaged but the AK Party fought the June 7 general election proposing to replace the parliamentary system with a presidential model.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu welcomed Yilmaz’s election and called for an end to the “bloc approach” in Turkish politics. Davutoglu is currently trying to form a coalition government by mid-August.
“We should not talk about polarization, bloc or opposition in politics,” he said. “As you see, the developments around us and in the world are now calling for foresight and common sense."
He added: "Instead of polarization or bloc, I wish… the coalition talks will be made clearly and the parties will have a sincere dialogue.”
Baykal, who has been acting speaker since the election, congratulated Yilmaz and wished him success as Turkey’s 26th parliamentary speaker.
Yilmaz represents Sivas province in eastern Turkey and has served two previous terms as a deputy. He was appointed defense minister in July 2011 by then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
