Countdown begins in AK Party to declare chairman nominee
11:41, 19/05/2016, ThursdayU: Update: 12:07, 19/05/2016, Thursday
Yeni Şafak
Minister of Transportation, Maritime and Communication, Binali Yıldırım, is very likely to be Davutoğlu's succescor, say uncorfrimed reports
A crucial meeting to choose the chair nominee of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has ended at the party's headquarters, officials said.
The party's highest
decision
-making body,
the Central Decision and Executive Board
(MKYK), convened at 11:00 am, to review the results of a survey of the chairmansip before naming the party's new chair nominee.
According to unconfirmed reports, Binali Yıldırım, an AK Party deputy from İzmir, and Minister of Transportation, Maritime and Communication in the 64th cabinet, will run as candidate in the party's extra-ordinary congress on May 22.
AK Party spokesman Ömer Çelik will officially announce the party's chairman nominee at 1 pmin the wake of an executive board meeting, reports said.
AK Party Deputy Group Chairman Nurettin Canikli previously said the next leader would be declared at 2 pm by a four-person delegation at the party's headquarters following the executive board meeting.
The nominee will be the 27th Turkish prime minister and AK Party's third leader if he is chosen at the party's congress on Sunday.
Earlier in May, Davutoğlu said he would not stand for the leadership. He stayed in office for 20 months.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will mandate Davutoğlu's successor to form Turkey's 65th government. AK Party's new leader will submit a list of cabinet ministers for presidential approval for the fifth AK Party government. Parliament will then vote to indicate whether or not it has confidence in the new government.