Former Turkish PM Davutoğlu launches ‘Future Party’

ANKARA

Turkey’s former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announced on Dec. 13 the launch of his new political party, named “Future Party.”

“The future is our nation’s, the future is Turkey,” he said at a ceremony where he announced the name and logo, as well as the principles of the new party.

“Despite all the pressures and the climate of fear trying to be created, we came together to draw a prosperous future for our country,” Davutoğlu said.

“Religious structures will be prevented from tending parallel structures through the intervention in the structure of the state which functions in rational bureaucratic mechanisms,” said Davutoğlu.

The party has 154 people on the founders board list including the AKP’s former Istanbul provincial chairman Selim Temurci, writer Etyen Mahçupyan, slain AKP advertiser Erol Olçok’s wife Nihal Olçok.

He had lost his life during the coup attempt of July 15, 2016, journalist Hakan Albayrak, Vahdettin İnce, chairman of Alevi Cultural Associations Doğan Demir Zilan, former police chief Mevlüt Demir, former AKP member Professor Mustafa Baloğlu and former President of Higher Education Board (YÖK) Yusuf Ziya Özcan.

A six-person delegation of former Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials submitted a petition to the Interior Ministry on Dec. 12 for the formation of the new party.

Davutoğlu was once a close aide of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, served as foreign minister and then prime minister until 2016.

Davutoğlu resigned his party on Sept. 13 after the AKP had launched disciplinary action against him and three other party dissidents.

Six other AKP members also declared their resignation along with Davutoğlu.

Elaborating on his recent criticisms of the AKP’s policies, Davutoğlu earlier said: “We aimed to invite the current AKP administration, which has departed from its founding principles and political mission, to give an account.”