Erdoğan Concerned Over Possible Competition In AK Party

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is preparing to hold a special congress next Wednesday in order to select its new leader to replace Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was elected president by popular vote on Aug. 6.
According to many, Erdoğan's tenure as prime minister had already ended the day he was elected, as the Constitution says the president-elect loses ties with his party and his membership in Parliament.
Challenging calls to resign, Erdoğan continues to act as the prime minister, saying he has not taken the presidential oath yet. As the prime minister and the AK Party leader, President-elect Erdoğan intends to head the Aug. 27 congress and have his favored candidate elected as the new party leader. Commentators say Erdoğan will prefer a low-profile figure for prime minister, while Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu appears to be the most likely candidate.
Hürriyet daily columnist Mehmet Y. Yılmaz wrote on Tuesday that the media recently reported that Erdoğan has been testing the water to determine the person who will replace him as head of the AK Party and as prime minister. Yılmaz stated that reports also said a majority of the AK Party deputies suggested that Davutoğlu become the new party leader, while others told Erdoğan, “You are the one to know what is best.”
In the meantime, a large number columnists and news reports in the pro-government media said Davutoğlu has become the certain candidate for the Prime Ministry, and also listed the other AK Party officials that are planned to take part in the next Cabinet, Yılmaz noted.
According to the columnist, this situation can be explained in two possible scenarios: Either Davutoğlu has conducted an excellent campaign to promote himself as a possible candidate or Erdoğan's “testing the water” is just a show, as he has already made his mind up about Davutoğlu.

Yılmaz pointed to the fact that Erdoğan has not still left his duties as prime minister and leader of the AK Party, although the Supreme Election Board (YSK) officially declared Erdoğan's presidency on Aug. 15, at the cost of violating the Constitution. “Erdoğan is doing this in order to attend the AK Party's upcoming congress [which will result in the election of the new leader] as the leader of the party. Why is that? Don't you wonder about the reason behind his insistence, if he is really that dominant in his party?” According to Yılmaz, Erdoğan wants to lead the congress because he is concerned about possible competition in the AK Party.
In a Tuesday piece titled “Parallel prime minister,” Kerem Altan, a columnist who writes for the online news portal T24, commented: “It must be hard for Erdoğan, who decided to serve as a ‘parallel prime minister,' though having been elected president. In fact, he is parallel to everything, acting as a parallel prime minister, a parallel Parliament, a parallel judiciary, a parallel mayor and also a parallel redevelopment director.”
According to Altan, Erdoğan does not care when his acts violate the Constitution, as he intends to become a “parallel state,” every institution of which he can control.
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GÜNAY HİLAL AYGÜN (Cihan/Today's Zaman)