Cemil Cicek and Zekif Kazdal from the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) and Tunca Toskay from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)
have put themselves forward as candidates for the post.
In the first round Cicek got 302 votes, Toskay – 50 and Kazdal – 23.
Under the Constitution, one has to win two-thirds of the total number
of votes of MPs (367) to be elected to the post of parliamentary
speaker in the first two rounds of the vote. Kazdal withdrew after the
first round. In the second round of voting Cicek won 322 votes, while
Toskay got 52, APA reports.
Cicek, who is one of the experienced personalities in Turkish
politics, was born in 1946. He graduated from the Law Faculty of
Istanbul University. He was one of the founders of the Motherland
Party (ANAP). He became an ANAP MP for Yozgat, and in the late 1980s
Minister of State responsible for "the family". He later became
minister for energy and natural resources, but was expelled from ANAP
in 1997, upon which he joined the Islamic-leaning Fazilet Party, which
later evolved into the AK Party.
