Turkish Parliament’s 28th term starts with opposition protest against Erdoğan

Opposition lawmakers have protested President Erdoğan by not standing up as he saluted the General Assembly at the parliament. Turkish lawmakers on June 2 partook in the traditional oath-taking ceremony where Erdoğan was also present.

Friday June 02 2023 03:50 pm

Duvar English

The Turkish Parliament’s 28th term started on June 2 with the oath-taking ceremony of lawmakers.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli -- as the parliament’s oldest MP (75) -- presided over the assembly as the acting speaker. He will hold that position until a new speaker is elected.

As President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sitting in the lodge saluted the General Assembly, lawmakers of the People’s Alliance got up and started to applaud him. At this moment, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), İYİ (Good) Party, and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers protested Erdoğan by not standing up.

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and DEVA leader Ali Babacan also observed General Assembly from the lodge as they have not been elected as lawmakers (Presidential candidates and vice president candidates cannot be nominated as lawmakers).

İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener, Felicity Party leader Temel Karamollaoğlu, Future Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu, and Democrat Party leader Gülteki Uysal have not joined the ceremony.

Every lawmaker will swear in one by one, by coming to the rostrum and reading the oath text aloud. The ceremony started at 2 p.m. and is expected to last until midnight.

On June 3, President Erdoğan will be sworn in at the parliament, and a day after his announcement of the Cabinet members, the new ministers will take the oath at the General Assembly.