Turkish PM says it is ‘early’ for former president to be named ruling party deputy

İsmet Berkan ABOARD TUR

Former President Abdullah Gül. DAILY NEWS Photo

It is “too early” former President Abdullah Gül to be nominated as a parliamentary candidate in the upcoming June general elections, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said.

Returning from his official visit to Pakistan, Davutoğlu said he and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had spoken to Gül on a number of occasions, and the latter had made no request to be nominated as an MP candidate.

“I met with him [Gül] last week. Our president is also talking with him, but there has not been such a request. It is too early for the issue to be discussed right now, but there has not been any request or suggestion about it,” he said.

Davutoğlu added that Gül was one of the “important founders” of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and has not moved away from the party’s stance or base.

“But politics has its own nature and should be evaluated within this nature,” he said.


The prime minister added that the structure in AKP had become “settled,” and even though some individuals may not be able to become a deputy, they did not depart either from the party or sentimentally.

The general elections will be held on June 7, and will be the third elections in which Turkey has voted over the last one-and-a-half years, following the local elections in March 2014 and the presidential elections in August 2014.