Newly elected lawmakers set to take oath, marking start of 28th term in Turkish Grand National Assembly

This important event will be followed by President Erdogan taking his oath in Parliament on Saturday, further solidifying the commencement of the new term.

All necessary preparations for the 28th term in the Assembly have been completed, laying the foundation for the deputies to officially assume their duties. The swearing-in ceremony, which will take place at the General Assembly, carries great significance as it symbolizes the formal initiation of their responsibilities.

The first session of the parliament will be presided over by Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the oldest attending deputy, serving as the Provisional Speaker of the Assembly.

President Erdogan's oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to occur tomorrow in Parliament. As part of the opening ceremony, President Erdogan will receive an official welcome and witness the swearing-in ceremony from a designated special section.

During the ceremony, each deputy will recite the constitutional oath from the rostrum as per the prescribed text. Deputies will consecutively take their oaths in alphabetical order, based on their respective constituencies. Deputies unable to attend the initial ceremony will have the opportunity to take the oath at a later date.

Following the inauguration ceremony, President Erdogan will announce his cabinet, and the newly appointed ministers will visit the General Assembly the following day to take their oaths of office.

Today, the process to elect the Speaker of the Assembly will also commence, further shaping the functioning of the Assembly for the new term. Once the Speaker is elected, the Presidency Council and various commissions will be established, contributing to the overall governance of the Assembly.

Earlier, Türkiye held a presidential runoff election on Sunday after no candidate secured the required 50% of the vote for an outright victory in the first round on May 14. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emerged as the winner with over 52% of the vote, while opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu received over 47%.

With 323 out of 600 seats in Parliament, President Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its allies hold the majority. While 360 seats are needed to call a referendum and 400 for constitutional changes, the president still possesses the power to enact some legislative changes through presidential decree, as granted by his executive presidency since 2018.

The AK Party holds the most seats with 268, followed by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) with 50 seats and the New Welfare Party (YRP) with five seats.

The main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), on the other hand, had 25.3 percent of the votes and secured 169 lawmakers which includes 14 lawmakers from the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), 10 from the Future Party, 10 from the Felicity Party and three from the Democrat Party. When these lawmakers leave the CHP, it will have 130 seats in parliament.

The second largest opposition party, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which ran under the sister Green Left Party (YSP) due to a legal case, experienced a loss of six seats and now has 61 seats in the new Parliament. (ILKHA)