28th Term, Second Session Election of the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (2025)

The 28th Term, Second Session Election of the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is one of the Speaker elections conducted by the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye in accordance with the Constitution and the Internal Regulations during its legislative terms; it was initiated following the expiration of the term of the incumbent Speaker, Numan Kurtulmuş. As a result of the election, Numan Kurtulmuş was re-elected as Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.

Reason for the Election and Convening of the Plenary Session

Following the completion of Numan Kurtulmuş’s term as Speaker of the 28th Term of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, the election for the position of Speaker was once again placed on the agenda in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the Internal Regulations. The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye convened on Tuesday, 3 June 2025, under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Bekir Bozdağ, formally initiating the election process.

Before the election, statements were made on matters outside the agenda. Members of Parliament Nevroz Uysal Aslan from Şırnak, Orhan Sümer from Adana, and Cevahir Asuman Yazmacı from Şanlıurfa each took the floor to address various regional and international issues. Following these statements, evaluations by the deputy leaders of the political party groups regarding the agenda were presented, and the election for the position of Speaker was formally placed on the agenda.

Candidates of the Parties

Candidacy applications for the position of Speaker were completed as of 2 June 2025. The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) nominated the incumbent Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş for re-election. The Democratic Action and Struggle Party (DEM Party) nominated Osman Cengiz Çandar, Member of Parliament from Diyarbakır, while the Good Party selected Mustafa Cihan Paçacı, Member of Parliament from Istanbul, as its candidate. The Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the New Way Party planned to announce their candidates on the same day.

Election Procedure

The Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is elected by secret ballot in accordance with the Constitution and the Internal Regulations of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. The election may extend up to four rounds. In the first two rounds, a two-thirds majority of the total membership, that is 400 votes, is required; if this majority is not achieved, a simple majority of 301 votes is sufficient in the third round. If no result is obtained in the third round, a fourth round is held between the two candidates who received the highest number of votes, and the candidate with the most votes in this final round is elected Speaker.

Voting Rounds and Results

First Round:

• Participation: 549 members of parliament
• Numan Kurtulmuş: 305
• Uğur Bayraktutan: 122
• Osman Cengiz Çandar: 50
• Mustafa Cihan Paçacı: 30
• Mehmet Karaman: 31
• Blank vote: 1
• Invalid vote: 10

As no candidate reached 400 votes, a second round was held.

Second Round:

• Participation: 543 members of parliament
• Numan Kurtulmuş: 306
• Uğur Bayraktutan: 120
• Osman Cengiz Çandar: 47
• Mustafa Cihan Paçacı: 27
• Mehmet Karaman: 30
• Blank vote: 2
• Invalid vote: 11

As a sufficient majority was still not achieved, a third round was held.

Third Round:

• Participation: 529 members of parliament
• Numan Kurtulmuş: 329
• Uğur Bayraktutan: 118
• Osman Cengiz Çandar: 18
• Mustafa Cihan Paçacı: 26
• Mehmet Karaman: 26
• Blank vote: 1
• Invalid vote: 11

Kurtulmuş, who achieved a simple majority, was elected Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye in the third round.

Official Congratulations and Statements

Following the election, Vice President of Türkiye Cevdet Yılmaz and Acting Chair of the Justice and Development Party Efkan Ala extended their congratulations to Kurtulmuş via social media. Yılmaz stated, “The Gazi Parliament is our greatest pillar in building Türkiye’s Century.” In his acceptance speech, Kurtulmuş emphasized constitutional reform, declaring his goal to “crown the second century of our Republic with a civil, democratic, and participatory constitution.”