AK Party's Yıldırım: No Hard Feelings Over Choice Of Davutoğlu For PM

Former minister Binali Yıldırım, whose name had been voiced among possible candidates for prime minister to replace President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has said that he harbors no hard feelings regarding Erdoğan's choice to nominate Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu as his successor.

He expressed his full support for Davutoğlu at a press conference in Parliament on Friday. The former minister of transportation, maritime affairs and communications, Yıldırım is currently an advisor of the prime minister. He mentioned at the press conference that his name had been among the possible candidates to be new chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the new prime minister -- posts that will be vacant after Erdoğan takes his position as president on Aug. 28.

Erdoğan announced on Thursday that the top administrative body of the governing AK Party decided to nominate incumbent Foreign Minister Davutoğlu as the candidate for the chairman's position, which will be voted on at the party's congress next week.

Yıldırım was not present at the AK Party meeting when Erdoğan announced Davutoğlu's nomination, and he subsequently announced that he would hold a press conference, sparking speculation that Yıldırım might declare a rift with Erdoğan. However, Yıldırım said he would not make any statement that would “surprise anyone,” leaving the journalists attending the press conference wondering why he had called the press event in the first place. When asked why he was not present when Davutoğlu was named Erdoğan's successor, the former minister said he has never been fond of public attention.

“Those who hoped for it should excuse me. Those who try to sow dissent within the AK Party are once again returning with empty hands,” he said, adding that he was one of the first people to congratulate Davutoğlu on his new positions.

Davutoğlu is currently the sole candidate and no contender is expected to emerge before the AK Party's Aug. 27 extraordinary congress to elect its new chairman.

There was a heated debate within the AK Party over who the potential candidates would be for the post of prime minister. A couple of figures within the ruling AK Party stood out as potential party leaders or heads of government in the post-Erdoğan era, including incumbent President Abdullah Gül, AK Party Deputy Chairman Numan Kurtulmuş, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin and Yıldırım.

Reports said that he was one of the most favored candidates among the AK Party deputies. Responding to a question on the reported AK Party support for him, Yıldırım confirmed his name was circulated as a potential successor to Erdoğan and added that he can only thank people who considered him to be a suitable choice for the Prime Ministry.

He said he values public services that improve the life standards of Turkish people, such as building roads and making air travel affordable to everyone. “I was never expecting a new position. If you haven't built high-speed trains or made air transportation affordable to the people, what is the point of being a prime minister?” he asked.

Yıldırım is known to be close to Erdoğan and is in his third consecutive term as an AK Party deputy. In audio clips leaked over the Internet following a major graft probe, it was alleged that Yıldırım managed, under instructions from Erdoğan, a pool of money that was apparently formed through collections from businesspeople. The money pool was allegedly created to buy out a pro-government media group. (Cihan/Today's Zaman)

SHOTLIST
TURKEY, ANKARA, 22 AUG 2014

VAR of Yıldırım coming to the press congference room
VAR of Yıldırım's statements

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