Turkey's parliament convened Tuesday for the first time since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party lost its overall majority in legislative elections, with political factions seeking to thrash out a deal on the first coalition government for over a decade.
Turkey has not seen a coalition since the ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002 and so far there has been no breakthrough in efforts to agree a deal.
With Erdogan looking on, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Deniz Baykal, who as parliament's oldest member at 76 is acting speaker, declared the session open.
After a bruising election campaign, Baykal called for calm in Turkey, saying the "conditions no longer exist for continuing the polarisation of society".
Wearing the traditional tailcoat and white bow tie of the Turkish speaker, he also urged respect for Turkey's secular traditions as set out by its modern founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
But in a sign of the divisions, opposition deputies refused to applaud Erdogan as he was announced by Baykal.
The opening of the single-chamber parliament, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, is a largely ceremonial affair, with each of the 550 deputies individually swearing oath in a marathon event that will last to the early hours of the morning.
But the meeting sounds the starting shot for the parties' formal efforts to agree a coalition after an election seen as one of the seismic events in Turkish politics in recent decades.
It also kicks off the process to elect the speaker, with parliament due to make the choice on June 30 and final rounds to take place on July 1 if required.
While the AKP emerged as the largest party, the results were a blow not only to its authority but also to Erdogan, who had been hoping the new parliament would agree on a new constitution to cement his powers.
- Most diverse parliament -
The AKP have 258 seats in the 550-seat parliament, the Republican People's Party (CHP) 132, and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) 80 apiece.
The parliament is more diverse than any other in Turkey's history with 96 women MPs and three lawmakers from Turkey's Armenian community as well as from other minorities.
Among the lawmakers taking oath for the HDP was Feleknas Uca, a Yazidi, who served two terms from 1999 to 2009 as a German MEP in the European Parliament and by her own admission speaks poor Turkish.
Also to take oath for the HDP was Dilek Ocalan, the niece of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the banned Kurdistam Workers Party (PKK) serving a life sentence over a decades-long insurgency.
Turkish media reports have said that Erdogan will this week give Prime Minister and AKP leader Ahmet Davutoglu the mandate to form the new government.
Should the parties fail to form a coalition within 45 days, Erdogan can then call early elections, an option he has warned he will use should the talks fail.
Turkish markets, which took a beating in the wake of the polls on fears of instability, will be hoping for a swift resolution to the uncertainty.
"Our thesis is that we will avoid another election and a credible coalition will be formed around mid-July," said the chief Turkey equity strategist for Renaissance Capital, Michael Harris.
By far the most likely coalition option is between the AKP and the nationalist MHP, who both share a core voter base of conservatives in the centre of the country.
Davutoglu denied that any deal had been reached but insisted he was open to a coalition.
The deputy head of the CHP, Akif Hamzacebi, said the parties needed to "work on the path of compromise to avoid early elections."
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus meanwhile described early elections as the "most remote" of possibilities.
Turkey’s parliament convened Tuesday for the first time since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party lost its overall majority in legislative elections, with political factions seeking to thrash out a deal on the first coalition government for over a decade.
Turkey has not seen a coalition since the ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002 and so far there has been no breakthrough in efforts to agree a deal.
With Erdogan looking on, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP Deniz Baykal, who as parliament’s oldest member at 76 is acting speaker, declared the session open.
After a bruising election campaign, Baykal called for calm in Turkey, saying the “conditions no longer exist for continuing the polarisation of society”.
Wearing the traditional tailcoat and white bow tie of the Turkish speaker, he also urged respect for Turkey’s secular traditions as set out by its modern founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
But in a sign of the divisions, opposition deputies refused to applaud Erdogan as he was announced by Baykal.
The opening of the single-chamber parliament, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, is a largely ceremonial affair, with each of the 550 deputies individually swearing oath in a marathon event that will last to the early hours of the morning.
But the meeting sounds the starting shot for the parties’ formal efforts to agree a coalition after an election seen as one of the seismic events in Turkish politics in recent decades.
It also kicks off the process to elect the speaker, with parliament due to make the choice on June 30 and final rounds to take place on July 1 if required.
While the AKP emerged as the largest party, the results were a blow not only to its authority but also to Erdogan, who had been hoping the new parliament would agree on a new constitution to cement his powers.
– Most diverse parliament –
The AKP have 258 seats in the 550-seat parliament, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) 132, and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) 80 apiece.
The parliament is more diverse than any other in Turkey’s history with 96 women MPs and three lawmakers from Turkey’s Armenian community as well as from other minorities.
Among the lawmakers taking oath for the HDP was Feleknas Uca, a Yazidi, who served two terms from 1999 to 2009 as a German MEP in the European Parliament and by her own admission speaks poor Turkish.
Also to take oath for the HDP was Dilek Ocalan, the niece of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the banned Kurdistam Workers Party (PKK) serving a life sentence over a decades-long insurgency.
Turkish media reports have said that Erdogan will this week give Prime Minister and AKP leader Ahmet Davutoglu the mandate to form the new government.
Should the parties fail to form a coalition within 45 days, Erdogan can then call early elections, an option he has warned he will use should the talks fail.
Turkish markets, which took a beating in the wake of the polls on fears of instability, will be hoping for a swift resolution to the uncertainty.
“Our thesis is that we will avoid another election and a credible coalition will be formed around mid-July,” said the chief Turkey equity strategist for Renaissance Capital, Michael Harris.
By far the most likely coalition option is between the AKP and the nationalist MHP, who both share a core voter base of conservatives in the centre of the country.
Davutoglu denied that any deal had been reached but insisted he was open to a coalition.
The deputy head of the CHP, Akif Hamzacebi, said the parties needed to “work on the path of compromise to avoid early elections.”
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus meanwhile described early elections as the “most remote” of possibilities.
