Yesterday, Deputy Speaker Fazilet Özdenefe of the Parliament convened the General Assembly to hold a legitimate session for the election of the Speaker. However, members of the coalition government parties (UBP, YDP, and DP) boycotted the session, calling it illegitimate. Parliament TV, responsible for broadcasting official sessions, abruptly cut its transmission, prompting Özdenefe and other CTP members to demand transparency and compliance with legislative rules, Yeniduzen reported.
Özdenefe took her seat at 11 a.m. and remained in the chamber until 9 p.m., insisting on maintaining a legal session and preventing the coalition from opening an unsanctioned meeting. Throughout the day, UBP MPs and the contested Speaker, Ziya Öztürkler, looked on from the doorway, unable to enter. The situation intensified when President Ersin Tatar departed on a trip, making Öztürkler the Acting President and transferring parliamentary authority to Özdenefe. This enabled the CTP to exit the chamber, regrouping for the following day’s meeting.
The broadcast interruption and substitution with a choir recital drew comparisons to the Turkish media’s “penguin documentary” incident during the Gezi Park protests. BRT, responsible for Parliament TV’s broadcasts, was criticised for the perceived censorship. Özdenefe urged them to resume the broadcast as required by law, while CTP Deputy Chairman Erkut Şahali condemned the “putschists” for manipulating media coverage.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, recently recovering from surgery, arrived at Parliament for a press conference alongside Öztürkler. However, they declined questions from the media, which was met with criticism by CTP members, including their leader, Tufan Erhürman, who questioned the coalition’s lack of transparency. Erhürman remarked on the government’s refusal to engage with journalists, suggesting it lacked the “courage” to address public concerns.
In the Blue Hall, Öztürkler countered accusations of illegitimacy surrounding his appointment. He dismissed objections from parliamentary lawyers, including a former Supreme Court Chief Justice, who had previously ruled the election invalid. Öztürkler maintained that only a court ruling could deem the process unlawful, regardless of “opinions”. His colleague, UBP Group Deputy Chairman Sunat Atun, defended the election, claiming that Öztürkler received 26 valid votes and labelling the CTP’s session as an “historic occupation” of Parliament.
As tensions rose, CTP insisted on holding a legal session and condemned the coalition’s attempt to bypass parliamentary protocol. The day’s events highlighted a standoff over legitimacy, with each side defending its stance and the coalition drawing criticism for perceived censorship and lack of accountability in the press.
