Kurtulmuş meets AKP, CHP ahead of speaker election

ANKARA

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş continued his round of visits on May 30 as his term nears its end, meeting with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

Kurtulmuş met with CHP leader Özgür Özel before conferring with an AKP delegation.

His meetings were expected to focus on the "terror-free Türkiye" process — a new initiative being shaped around PKK's dissolution. The parliament speaker launched his party tour with a visit to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli on May 28.

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

Kurtulmuş’s term as parliament speaker is due to end on June 7. However, the AKP renominated him for the post on May 30, with İYİ (Good) Party and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) set to nominate Cihan Paçacı and Cengiz Çandar, respectively.

Candidate applications must be submitted by June 1, with the speaker election scheduled for June 3.

Kurtulmuş is expected to complete his party tour on June 2 with meetings with officials from the DEM Party, İYİ Party and the New Path Party.

Meanwhile, the CHP has named lawmaker Tekin Bingöl as deputy parliament speaker, while the MHP reappointed MP Celal Adan. The DEM Party is expected to name a new deputy speaker on June 2 to replace Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who died of a heart attack on May 3.