Cemil Cicek elected Turkey’s parliament speaker

PanARMENIAN.Net - Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek was elected as Turkey’s new speaker of parliament in legislative elections Monday, July 4 following three rounds of voting.

Cicek is an experienced politician who served as Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the AKP’s last two terms. The Republican People’s Party, or CHP, has also expressed support for Cicek’s bid.

However, the main opposition CHP had refused to take the parliamentary oath to protest the continued incarceration of its two jailed deputies, journalist Mustafa Balbay and academic Mehmet Haberal, who were elected but have been detained for more than two years on charges of involvement in alleged plots to destabilize and overthrow the AKP, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Cicek is known for his anti-Armenian position, often lashing out against Armenian Genocide recognition.