Deputy PM Arınç says he wishes to serve the AKP even after his leave

KUWAIT CITY

AA Photo

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has said as he was a “man of duty,” he would always wish to be in the service of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and contribute to Turkish politics.

“We are men of duty. We do not retire. We may leave our posts, but as long as we live, we wish and would like to be in the service of the AKP and somehow contribute to Turkish politics,” daily Milliyet reported Arınç as saying.

Arınç has been a deputy of the AKP for the past three elections, thus 12 years. AKP’s founding law states that a member of the party can only be elected three consecutive times as a deputy. Arınç is among the 71 current AKP deputies that are being affected by the rule and will not be a candidate to be elected as a deputy during the June 2015 general elections.

Arınç said not he was not abandoning politics, but that politics was abandoning him, as he has been a deputy for various parties over the past 20 years and had done any kind of work that a deputy could do in Parliament. He had already said he wanted to leave active politics and continue to contribute to the country’s politics outside of the active politics chamber.

Commenting whether there was a possibility for former President Abdullah Gül to return to politics, Arınç said Gül’s residency being in Istanbul would not affect his services.

“Gül is our brother, friend and a founder of our party. He conducted a wonderful presidency. Our nation has loved him and he has made significant contributions to our party. He is a person who receives much respect in the international arena,” said Arınç.