Former transport minister to advise Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan

ISTANBUL

Former Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım was appointed June 5 as an adviser to the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) chair, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, daily Hürriyet has learned.

Yıldırım will advise the prime minister on issues regarding transportation, communication and infrastructure.

Erdoğan had picked Yıldırım as the AKP’s candidate for the İzmir mayoral post in March 30 polls, but he fell to the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

Yıldırım’s brother-in-law was arrested, and then released pending trial, in a corruption probe into transactions at commercial harbors earlier this year.

More recently, Yıldırım was the subject of media again due to two news stories. First, he was reported to be a key figure behind Turkey’s blocking of Twitter in March. Then, his brother, İlhami Yıldırım, sparked controversy when he addressed those who criticized the government in a Twitter message on May 22, saying “Either you will live in this country quietly like a donkey or you will get the hell out.”