Binali Yıldırım elected as AK Party's new chairman

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party has elected the Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Binali Yıldırım as chairman after an extraordinary congress in Ankara.

Yıldırım who was the sole candidate to run for the party's third chairmanship, garnered 1,405 out of 1,411 votes in the election held at the at the Arena Sports Hall Sunday, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ announced.

Out of 1,411 votes, six were declared invalid, Bozdag added.

The 60-year-old new AK Party chairman is now set to replace Ahmet Davutoğlu as the country's next prime minister.

Yıldırım was the sole candidate at the congress, which was announced after Ahmet Davutoğlu said earlier this month he was stepping down.

Yıldırım, a co-founder of the party in August 2001, has served as transport minister (with other portfolios, including maritime) in five Turkish governments under prime ministers Abdullah Gül, Erdoğan and Davutoğlu.

On May 5, outgoing Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announced that he would not stand again for the AK Party chairmanship.

In August 2014, Davutoğlu, who had served as foreign minister since 2009, was elected chairman of the party after then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ran for president.

Davutoğlu became the second chairman of AK Party after 13 years with Erdogan as the leader.