The Turkish parliamentary swearing-in ceremony for the 28th term is set to take place on June 1, following the official confirmation of the May 14 election results.
Preparations are underway for the upcoming term, and the parliament administration is meticulously organizing the seating arrangement. A lottery will be conducted to determine the seating order, excluding party leaders such as Fatih Erbakan of the New Welfare Party (YRP). Erbakan will be assigned the chamber previously occupied by Mustafa Destici, the leader of the Great Union Party (BBP), who did not secure a seat as a deputy this term.
The seating arrangement will follow a plan that lists parties from left to right, starting with the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Republican People's Party (CHP), Green Left Party (YSP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and İYİ (Good) Party groups.
Lawmakers from the YRP, Democratic Left Party (DSP), and Free Cause Party (Hüda-Par) will be seated in the back section between the AKP and CHP. The DEVA, Future Party, Workers' Party of Türkiye (TİP), and Felicity Party will occupy seats behind the YSP and MHP rows.
Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the MHP, will assume the role of interim speaker of the parliament. In line with recent changes in the bylaws, he will appear on stage dressed in a suit, as the requirement to wear a frock coat has been abolished.
During the ceremony, Bahçeli will closely monitor the oath-taking process to ensure that deputies from the pro-Kurdish YSP and Hüda-Par adhere to the constitutional and bylaw requirements. Those who fail to comply will be asked to repeat the oath.
Newly elected deputies will be reminded of the mandatory tie-wearing rule and the option to bring the Quran to the rostrum.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, the first task for the parliament will be to elect the speaker. The nomination process will begin upon the opening of the parliament, and candidates will have five days to submit their applications. The election will conclude within the subsequent five days.
The constitution stipulates that a two-thirds majority (401 votes) is required in the first two rounds of the speaker's election, while a simple majority (301 votes) is sufficient in the third round.
Subsequently, the formation of the assembly presidency council and commissions will commence. The allocation of memberships to each party group will be determined based on the number of deputies they have.
As in the 27th term, the People's Alliance led by the AKP and the MHP is expected to maintain a favorable distribution of positions. Photo by Mark Lowen, Wikimedia commons.