UPDATE - Turkey’s AK party names Yildirim as parliament speaker

UPDATES WITH AK PARTY GROUP CHAIRMAN NACI BOSTANCI QUOTES

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party on Saturday nominated Prime Minister Binali Yildirim as parliament speaker.

Naci Bostanci, the AK Party's parliamentary group chairman, and deputies have submitted Yildirim's nomination to the parliamentary speaker's office on Saturday afternoon.

"According to the internal regulations of the parliament, the election for the parliamentary speaker will take place on July 12," Bostanci told reporters.

"The process of the parliamentary speaker election will not take long. So, I assume it will conclude in a day," he added.

Also speaking to journalists in the capital Ankara, Yildirim said: "Hopefully it will be good to our state and nation. Some other candidates may emerge too. Whatever our parliament says, so be it."

Yildirim, Turkey’s last prime minister, is serving his last days at the post, as the country officially shifted to a presidential system of government last month, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s election victory.

Yildirim's premiership is due to conclude when a new government is formed next week.

If elected, Yildirim will succeed Ismail Kahraman, who served two terms as the parliament speaker.