News Analysis: New leader of Turkish ruling party vows to bring in presidential system

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has further consolidated his grip on the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) with his long-time ally officially throned as the chairman of the party on Sunday.

Not only the chairman of the party but half of the top management positions were replaced by people seen closely associated with the Turkish president.

Binali Yildirim, the minister of transport, maritime and communications in the government, was picked by the party as the only candidate to contest the chairmanship in the extraordinary party congress.

The party's 1,282 delegates endorsed Yildirim as the nominee for the party chairmanship. He received 1,405 votes out of 1,411 total votes cast by participating delegates.

Yildirim, a loyalist and close confidant to the Turkish president, has replaced Ahmet Davutoglu who was ousted under pressure from the leadership position only after six months he won the national elections in a landslide in November polls.

The official endorsement for Yildirim's party leadership means he would be the next prime minister of Turkey as Erdogan will soon give him a mandate to form the new government.

"The move is definitely another and an important step toward Erdogan's target of concentrating the executive power in the presidency," Murat Yetkin, an analyst on Turkish politics, said.

Turkey has long been run by the parliamentary democracy in which the executive power rests with the office of the prime minister. The president has more symbolic powers compared to the prime minister under the current constitution.

Erdogan, elected by a popular vote in 2014 into president's office after 13 years of the rule as the prime minister and chairman of the AKP, wants to move Turkey into an executive presidency.

For that he needs to secure a constitutional amendment that will empower him to run the party and the government at the same time as opposed to current status that require him to stay independent and above politics.

According to Mustafa Unal, a veteran observer of Turkish politics in Ankara, the Turkish president has simply given up on Davutoglu who did not put his full weight behind switching to the executive presidency.

"The expiration date for Davutoglu has passed," Unal said, adding that Erdogan who brought him to the chairmanship in the first place now wanted him out.

In his speech at the party congress, Yildirim listed the switch to the executive presidency as his most important priority.

"The most important thing we have to do today is to turn this de facto situation into a legal one and thus end the confusion," he said, adding that the path to make that happen is the brand new constitution and executive presidency.

DAVUTOGLU VENTED OUT HIS FRUSTRATION

On his farewell speech on Sunday, Davutoglu vowed to remain engaged with the party, stressing again that his departure was not his choice but out of concern over the unity of the party.

"I'm aware of the disturbance this situation has created among party members and the nation," the outgoing prime minister remarked.

For the first time in the Turkish politics, a prime minister is forced out from his office due to an internal squabble within the party rather than a loss in elections or a defeat in the Parliamentary vote of confidence.

Davutoglu successfully led the AKP in snap polls in November, receiving the support of 49.5 percent of the electorate and securing the majority of the seats in the 550-seat Turkish parliament.

Sunday's party congress not only elected the new chairman of Turkey's ruling party but also chose members of the Central Decision and Administration Board (MKYK), the 50-member top management of the party.

The new MKYK is made up of figures known to be close to Turkish president, while people close to Davutoglu were not elected for the new term.

Twenty-four people including the party's heavyweights and government ministers were not named in the new MKYK list.

Yildirim is expected to pick 12 members out of the MKYK as deputy chair people to run the political party.

In a clear sign of Erdogan's strong hold on the AKP party, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag who administered the party congress on Sunday declared the Turkish president as the only leader of the AKP.

"As the people said, our party is 'Tayyip's party and will continue to remain as Tayyip's party," he said, referring to the middle name of the Turkish president.

Delegates of AKP congress also stood up out of respect while President Erdogan's message was read out loud in the auditorium.

NEW GOVERNMENT POLICIES

Turkish analysts do not expect a radical shift in government policies when Yildirim forms new cabinet to govern the country.

The country is facing a series of challenges ranging from economic difficulties to mounting security and terror threats, from suspension of the peace process with Kurds to refugee problems that spilled over from conflict zones in neighboring states.

The extensive security presence around the venue for the party congress with nearly 5,000 police officers deployed for the event is a stark reminder of security concerns in Turkey.

Yasar Yakis, former foreign minister of Turkey, says he does not expect major changes in policies of the government given the fact that the policy maker in previous government was president Erdogan himself.

"He will continue to be the policy maker for the new government as well," he underlined.

Yakis noted that changes in the foreign policy of Turkey, especially in Syria, can only be expected if the Turkish president really wants to do some corrections.

Others say the real change in the new cabinet will be made in the economic management.

Omer Sahin, Turkish expert on politics, says the real change will come to the economic management in the next cabinet. Ministers who worked closely with Davutoglu will be replaced by those who are more loyal to Erdogan.

The new government and the reshuffled party management means Erdogan will be more comfortable in relying on the government as he pushes for a referendum and a likely a snap election in Turkey to secure an executive presidency.

The lifting of immunities in the parliament last week that targeted Kurdish lawmakers was an important step in Erdogan's campaign to woo conservative and nationalist voters ahead of likely referendum. Endit