Turkey: Binali Yildirim Elected Parliament Speaker

Turkish parliament on Thursday elected former Prime Minister and Justice and Development (AK) Party's lawmaker Binali Yildirim as its new speaker.

ANKARA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Jul, 2018 ) :Turkish parliament on Thursday elected former Prime Minister and Justice and Development (AK) Party's lawmaker Binali Yildirim as its new speaker.

Turkey's last Prime Minister Yildirim, a lawmaker from western Izmir province, received 335 votes in the third round of voting by the Grand National Assembly of 600 seats.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) supported Yildirim in the election.

Speaking to lawmakers after the election, Yildirim thanked AK Party's and MHP's parliamentary groups for their support. "I want it to be known that I would be the speaker of lawmakers who gave me or did not give me vote," Yildirim said.

Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Erdogan Toprak got 135 votes, while People's Democratic Party (HDP) candidate Meral Danis Bestas bagged 63 votes.

Good (IYI) Party's candidate Hayrettin Nuhoglu received 40 votes and Felicity (Saadet) Party candidate Cihangir Islamoglu got 5 votes. Six votes were ruled invalid.

The AK Party holds 290 seats in parliament, while the Republican People's Party (CHP) has 144 seats, HDP 67 seats, the MHP 49, IYI Party 42, Saadet Party 2, Democrat Party (DP) 1, and Grand Unity Party (BBP) 1.