Weeks after the parliamentary elections concluded, 600 lawmakers elected or reelected to the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) were sworn in on Friday. As the oldest lawmaker, 75-year-old Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli presided over the swearing-in ceremony as interim Parliament speaker.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) won 268 seats, the most in Parliament, in the elections, as it entered its third decade in power with the latest victory.
In addition to the AK Party, its People’s Alliance partners MHP won 50 seats and the New Welfare Party (YRP) won five, securing a combined majority of 323 seats out of the total 600 in Parliament.
With 169 deputies, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), along with its coalition partner the Good Party (IP), secured a total of 212 seats in Parliament, representing the main opposition Nation’s Alliance.
The smaller partners of the CHP-led six-party opposition coalition managed to get almost 40 lawmakers by entering the parliamentary elections under CHP lists.
The Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), which entered the elections from the CHP lists, won 15, the Future Party (GP) and Felicity Party (SP) 10 each, and the Democrat Party three deputies. After the opening of Parliament, 38 deputies will return to their parties from the CHP from which they were elected. Thereby, the number of CHP lawmakers will be decreased to 129 this year from 169 in 2018.
Read the full story on Daily Sabah
