Bekir Bozdag resigns as deputy speaker of the Turkish parliament

According to Kurdpress, Bekir Bozdag, the (former) deputy speaker of the Turkish parliament and the AKP Urfa party's (AKP) Urfa party's representative, as well as the country's former Minister of Justice, submitted his resignation to the Turkish parliament speaker on October 6, citing "physical problems."

According to some news reports, his treatment and recovery process is expected to take four to five months, during which time he will not be able to chair the general assembly sessions. Bozdag's resignation only concerns the position of deputy speaker of the parliament, and he will remain the MP for Şanlıurfa.

Bozdag has been undergoing treatment for some time and for this reason, he had been away from parliamentary activities for some time.His recent appearance at the Southeast Technofest exhibition in Urfa and his noticeable weight loss have led to speculation about his physical condition; however, no official source has yet announced the nature of his illness or the details of his treatment. Therefore, the claims that he has cancer have not yet been officially confirmed.

With the vacancy of this seat, the Justice and Development Party faction must nominate a new candidate for deputy speaker of the parliament, but as of the morning of October 7, a name has not been officially announced. At the same time, a local Urfa media outlet has claimed that the possibility of Mehmet Kasım Gölpınar, the independent mayor of the city, returning to the Justice and Development Party also played a role in Bozdag's decision; a claim that has no specific source and has not been confirmed by other media outlets. The current evidence points to Bozdag's continued treatment and his inability to chair parliament sessions for several months as the main reasons for his resignation.