Loyalist of Turkey's Erdogan rises to lead party
An ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was appointed to form the nation's new government Sunday, in a move that critics fear could strengthen Erdogan’s grip on power and lead to a further crackdown on dissent.
Transportation and Communications Minister Binali Yildirim, a founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP), was tapped to replace Ahmet Davutoglu, who stepped down amid growing differences with Erdogan, including the president’s bid to overhaul Turkey’s constitution, giving the largely ceremonial president executive powers.
Yildirim, 60, has said he would work to legalize the “de facto” presidential system by introducing a new constitution. His appointment came hours after the ruling party confirmed him as party chairman. He was the sole candidate at an “extraordinary” AKP congress in Ankara, the BBC reported.
"Turkey needs a new constitution," he said to applause. "Are you ready to bring in a presidential system?"
Davutoglu remains caretaker premier until Yildirim forms a new cabinet, the Associated Press reported.
Nurettin Canikli, the head of AKP's parliamentary bloc, told Al Jazeera that Turkey's constitution is problematic. It is not clear, he said, on "where the prime minister and president's power and authority begins and ends."
When Erdogan and Davutoglu tried to use their authority at the same time, Canikli said, "they failed to meet in the middle."
Supporters credit Yildirim for his role in developing major infrastructure projects, which have helped buoy Turkey’s economy and boost the party’s popularity. But critics, including the leader of the main opposition party, have accused him of corruption. Yildirim has rejected the accusation.
The move comes as Turkey faces renewed conflicts with Kurdish rebels, a wave of suicide bombings linked to Kurdish and Islamic State militants and growing blowback from the war in neighboring Syria. It also comes amid growing tensions with the European Union (EU) over a controversial deal to reduce the flow of illegal migrants from Turkey to Greece, which Davutoglu helped broker.
A one-time adviser to Erdogan and a former foreign minister, Davutoglu fell out with the president over several issues, including the possibility of peace talks with Kurdish rebels, and the pre-trial detention of journalists accused of spying and academics accused of supporting terrorism, AP reported.
Erdogan is pushing for a broader definition of terrorism, alarming rights groups who say existing laws are already too widely interpreted to crush dissent. His stance is also at odds with EU conditions for Turkish citizens to benefit from visa-free travel.
In a speech thanking delegates who voted to endorse him, Yildirim said, “Our path is the path of the voice and the breath of the people, our party’s leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. … We have always proudly said that we are Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s companion, that we share a common fate and a common passion,” AP reported
Yildirim said Turkey would press ahead with operations against Kurdish rebels. He called on the EU to end “the confusion” over Turkey’s membership bid and the migration deal.
“Mr. President, we promise you that your passion will be our passion, your cause will be our cause, your path will be our path.”
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