PHOTO: AA. AK Party's Parliament Speaker candidate Mustafa Sentop (center) casts his vote at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on Sunday, February 24, 2019
On February 24, Turkish Grand National Assembly elected Mustafa Sentop of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as the 29th Speaker. He received 336 votes out of 600 in the third round of the election, whereas his main rival Engin Altay, deputy group chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), received 124 votes. The head of the parliament planning and budget committee Süreyya Sadi Bilgiç replaced Sentop as deputy speaker of parliament.
PHOTO. Ma. Moldovan President Igor Dodon casts his vote in parliamentary elections in a polling station in Chisinau on February 24.
On February 24, Moldova voted in an election which resulted in a hung parliament. The pro-Russian Socialist Party won the largest share of the vote, taking over 31 percent; however, with a new electoral system that divides the 101-seat parliament into seats elected by party lists and individual constituencies, Moldova’s ruling Democratic Party won 23.9% of votes but took the most seats – 34, three more than the socialists. The pro-European ACUM alliance, which wants Moldova to seek closer ties with the European Union, came second with 26% and took 23 seats.
PHOTO: Xinhua. Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud at the third meeting of the China-Saudi Arabia High-level Joint Committee.
On February 22, 2019, Chinese vice Premier Han Zheng met and co-chaired a meeting of the China-Saudi Arabia High Level Joint Steering Committee with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
Han said that China and Saudi Arabia should strengthen the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Saudi Vision 2030, enhance pragmatic cooperation on energy, infrastructure and construction, finance, and high tech. He also called on the two countries to push forward anti-terrorism, law enforcement and security cooperation, while enhancing experience exchanges on de-radicalization.
Mohammed said that Saudi Arabia attached great importance and support to the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, one-China policy, and China’s efforts to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and stability.
The two sides witnessed the signing of a series of cooperative agreements covering politics, shipping, capacity, energy, and finance.
PHOTO: J&C Services
From February 20-22, Lao Committee for Peace and Solidarity invited Gao Yunlong, vice chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, to visit Laos. During the visit, the two sides held working-level talks with Somphan Phengkhammy, the Deputy President of the Lao National Assembly and President of the Lao Committee for Peace and Solidarity. Both sides agreed to treasure traditional friendship, promote people-to-people communication, and jointly build a community of shared future. Gao also met with National Assembly President and Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) politburo member Pany Yathotou and other senior political members.
BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr) |
