Turkey’s ruling party crowns Davutoglu as Erdogan’s successor

Turkey’s ruling party confirmed Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s successor as prime minister and party leader on Thursday, with both men vowing the handover would not herald any change in strategy.

Erdogan, 60, is due to be sworn in as president on Thursday and the endorsement of Davutoglu, 55, of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), was a key step in a tightly choreographed succession process.

Analysts expect the change at the top will not alter Erdogan’s status as Turkey’s undisputed number one, and both men stressed that strict continuity would be maintained.

Yet Erdogan rejected suggestions that Davutoglu was simply a puppet prime minister, and said the AKP would never be a “one man’s” party.

In a purely ceremonial vote at a congress the day before Erdogan took office as president, the AKP overwhelmingly endorsed Davutoglu, who was the only candidate in the running after being nominated by the party’s executive committee.

Davutoglu and his wife Sare – a practicing gynecologist – then threw red flowers to the thousands of party supporters gathered at Ankara’s sports arena.

– ‘Names don’t matter’ –

Outgoing Turkish Foreign Minister and new Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (L) arrives at the Prime Ministry for a cabinet meeting in Ankara on August 25, 2014.

Adem Altan, AFP

Erdogan – who led Turkey as prime minister for more than a decade with Islam-tinged and development-focused policies – will be sworn in as president on Thursday at 11:00 GMT following his victory in the August 10 election.

He will succeed Abdullah Gul, a former close comrade and co-founder of the AKP, who now seems at odds with the fiery Erdogan and who was barely mentioned at the congress.

In a marathon two-hour speech, Erdogan said the government’s strategy would not change with the handover and said the party had “always excluded personal ambitions and arrogance.”

“The names don’t matter. The names change today but our essence, our mission, our spirit, our goals and our ideals remain in place.”

Erdogan, who has two sons and two daughters, described the party he helped found as his “fifth child” but said the “time to say goodbye” had come.

According to Turkish law, the president must sever all ties with political parties. But Erdogan said the party was not just one person’s business.

“The AKP will never be a one-man party. It is a party of principles,” he said.

(From 2nd right) Turkish Prime Minister and head of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is pictured with his wife Emine Erdogan on August 27, 2014.

Selahattin Sonmez, Swimming Pool/AFP

“Our cause will not change tomorrow and it will not be abandoned in the future.”

Erdogan is expected to transform what has until now been a largely ceremonial presidential position into a powerful role, with Davutoglu as a staunch ally who will pose no obstacles.

Erdogan insisted, however, that Davutoglu would be a figure of real stature and power as prime minister.

“I would like to emphasize this: Davutoglu is not a goalkeeper. Everyone should know that.”

– ‘Shoulder to shoulder’ –

In an impassioned speech aimed at shedding his image as a bookish politics buff, Davutoglu said there would be no conflict with Erdogan and the two would build a new Turkey “hand in hand”.

“We will build the new Türkiye hand in hand, side by side. No one can sow animosity between comrades.”

Showing his combative side, Davutoglu criticized last year’s anti-government protests over the redevelopment of an Istanbul park, calling them an attempt to “destroy the self-confidence that we have instilled in our people.”

He pledged to build a strong Türkiye that would prosper and not collapse like the Ottoman Empire after World War I.

“We will not let Turkey face the great disaster that the Ottoman Empire faced. »

Davutoglu will now form a new cabinet by Friday, with intense speculation over who will take the top jobs.

The press has tipped Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan as a possible new foreign minister, while the future of economic powerhouse and market favorite Ali Babacan in government is also attracting much attention.

Davutoglu, who became foreign minister in 2009, is a controversial figure who some accuse of pursuing an overly ambitious foreign policy that has led to the rise of Islamist militants in Syria.