Speaker election for Turkey's parliament turns into coalition rehearsal

Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP) has declared that the selection of a parliamentary speaker has no connection to the formation of a future coalition government, but the Justice and Development Party's (AKP) maneuvers suggest otherwise amid moves to shape a power-sharing deal.

CHP leader Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu said June 24 that Deniz Baykal, the former leader of the party who is currently serving as acting parliamentary speaker as the eldest deputy, is their candidate. The leader of the social democrat party was brief when asked whether Baykal's nomination was a harbinger of a coalition: "No. This doesn't have any relation with a coalition."

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an already made public that he has no intention of giving the mandate to form a government to the AKP, which lost its parliamentary majority in the June 7 election, before the new parliament elects a speaker. Such a statement has forced the potential coalition partners to accelerate their preparation for a bargaining process.

Having been forced to seek a partner in one of the three main opposition parties to govern after losing its parliamentary majority, the AKP government has begun sketching plans for a power-sharing deal.

The issue came to the agenda during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister and AKP leader Ahmet Davuto?lu on June 22. Some members of the cabinet proposed that new offices should be created with the separation of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Environment and Urban Planning Ministry and Forestry and Water Affairs Ministry into their constituent parts.

The idea of increasing the number of executive ministries from 21 to 25 and creating a 30-seat cabinet, including the prime minister, were also floated during the meeting,...