Ruling AKP group elects PM Yıldırım as parliamentary group chair

ANKARA

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has elected Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım as its new parliamentary group chair, after he vacated his position as party chairman to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at last weekend’s extraordinary convention. 

According to the Political Party Law, the parliamentary group chair of a party must be a lawmaker and the position must be held by the leader of the party.

Erdoğan was elected on May 21 as the head of the AKP but because he is not an MP he cannot serve as the parliamentary group leader. The AKP therefore had to change its party regulation to designate an acting leader at the congress.

The amendment, which will be in effect until the 2019 elections, paved the way for Binali Yıldırım to regain his parliamentary group chairperson position as “acting leader” of the party.

Lawmakers elected Yıldırım as the parliamentary group chairman at a closed session of the AKP’s parliamentary group meeting on May 24.

As a result, Yıldırım will be able to chair the 316-seat AKP parliamentary group and address lawmakers at weekly party meetings in the event that Erdoğan is unable to do so.