PHOTO: News.am
On January 30, 2019, Turkish Parliament Speaker Binali Yildirim announced that he will leave his post on February 18 to formally apply to run for mayoral elections scheduled for March 31 in an interview with the CNN Türk news channel.
Yildirim was nominated as candidate of ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) for mayor of Istanbul in the upcoming local elections, and said that he will submit his resignation as soon as the official filing of his candidacy is completed.
When asked about his reasons to run for mayor while he was still parliament’s speaker, Yildirim said a need arose regarding his candidacy and he accepted the duty.
The mayoral candidate also stressed that this is a first and the regulations do not state whether the parliament speaker can run for mayor or not.
Yildirim’s candidacy while still a parliament speaker received an avalanche of criticisms from opposition parties, which called it a violation of the Turkish Constitution.
Article 94 of the Turkish constitution stipulates that parliament speakers and deputy speakers cannot partake in the activities of the political party that they are a member of, within or outside Parliament, apart from situations that are required by their duties.
The Ankara Bar Association had called for Yildirim’s resignation in a written statement on January 2, saying his nomination breaches the constitution as it obligates the speaker of the Turkish Parliament to remain impartial.
Tildirim’s candidacy for Istanbul mayor was announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdo？an on December 29, 2018 after months of speculation.
BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr) |
