Former AKP founder Sener prepares to debut new party at end-April

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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Abdullatif Sener, who held the post of economy minister and deputy prime minister until the general elections of July 22, 2007, described the drop in support for his former party, the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, in this year’s March 29 local elections as a “turning point,” adding that he would be establishing his new party shortly after April 20.
     
According to Radikal daily, Sener will announce his new party on April 26 and present its founding members – including some 40 former deputies and ministers – to the public. Sener and his colleagues are expected to file their application for the new party on April 27.
     
Sener, a popular minister between 2002 and 2007, surprised many when he announced his intention not to run for Parliament in the 2007 elections, saying he had decided to retire from politics and return to lecturing in economics.
     
One of the founding members of the AKP, Sener first entered Parliament in 1991 and later served as finance minister for the Welfare Party, or RP, government in 1996, before helping to establish the ruling party in 2000. Sener took on the role of deputy prime minister after the AKP first came to power in 2002.
     
According to Radikal, Sener is preparing for the general elections in 2011. In a previous interview, Sener had said he wanted to create a group strong on economic affairs “because the near future will be dominated by economics.”
     
“People known and respected by the public for their economic competence will be included in this group,” he said. “However, beyond that, we will be open to everyone who can perceive the issues in their entirety, irrespective of their beliefs.”