A co-founder with Erdogan of the AKP, Yildirim has been the driving force behind major infrastructure projects in Turkey which were one of the pillars of the party’s electoral successes during its first decade in power.
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A picture made avaliable on 18 May 2016 shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (L) and Binali Yildirim (R), Minister of Transport pose attend a ceremony for welding the last bridge floor of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the Third Bosphorus Bridge during a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, March 6, 2016. According to the party’s regulations, the chairman shall automatically become prime minister.
The party’s spokesperson Ömer Çelik announced Yıldırım’s candidacy in front of a large crowd of AK Party deputies in Ankara after the Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK) meeting at 11am.
The incoming premier, transport minister Binali Yildirim, immediately vowed to “work in total harmony” with the strongman leader. He will run unopposed for the party leadership at a special convention Sunday in Ankara.
Despite Davutoglu’s shock announcement earlier this month that he was stepping down, the AKP has been keen to promote an image of unity in public.
Analysts expect that Yildirim – who has never stepped out of line with the president on a policy issue – will prove a far for pliable figure for the president than Davutoglu.
“From my heart I express my gratitude to the party members [and] the party organisation for nominating me as candidate for the general chairmanship at our upcoming congress”, said Yildirim. The new law will allow prosecutors to purse members of parliament who now face investigation: 138 deputies, of whom 100 are from the HDP and main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Yildirim has rejected that accusation.
Turkey’s ruling AKP has named its candidate for the party leadership, on the 97th anniversary of the start of the Turkish War of Independence.
The amendment was proposed by the ruling party after Turkey’s president accused the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party, or HDP, of being an arm of outlawed Kurdish rebels and repeatedly called for their prosecution on terror-related charges.
The transition also coincides with growing tensions with the European Union over a controversial deal to reduce the flow of illegal migrants from Turkey to Greece, which Davutoglu helped broker.
Crucially, Erdogan wants to turn the presidency, in theory a ceremonial role, into an all-powerful position by changing the constitution.
Many believe Mr Yildirim, a technocrat, will have even less influence than his predecessor and only enjoy a short-lived mandate.
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He said the AKP has become “totally marked by the president” and the prime ministry has lost its importance.
