Hasan Bitmez, a Turkish lawmaker who suffered a heart attack at the Parliament Tuesday, passed away on Thursday, authorities announced.
Bitmez, who represents the Kocaeli province for Felicity Party (SP), collapsed as he finished his speech at a live broadcast session of the Parliament.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters that the 54-year-old lawmaker died in Ankara City Hospital where he was taken for medical care.
A graduate of Cairo's Al Azhar University, Bitmez was the chairperson of the Centre for Islamic Union Research and had previously worked for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), his Parliament biography shows.
He was married and was a father of one. Parliament's official broadcast showed Bitmez collapsing to the floor after having been standing at the podium before the general assembly on Tuesday.
