Erdoğan officially returns to AK Party after constitutional reform referendum
President Erdoğan arrived at the AK Party headquarter in the capital to rejoin the party after 33 months
- Türkiye
- Published Date: 12:00 | 02 May 2017
- Modified Date: 08:25 | 02 May 2017
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived at the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarter in the capital to rejoin the party after 33 months, following the constitutional reform referendum which enables him to be affiliated with a political party.
Erdoğan signed a membership form, confirming his re-admittance to the party which he left when he was directly elected Turkey's president in 2014, Mustafa Ataş, AK Party vice chairman, announced.
In his speech at the ceremony, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said Erdoğan will be nominated chairman of AK Party during an extraordinary congress that will be held on May 21.
Starting in 2001, Erdoğan led the AK Party for 13 years but had to step aside when he became president in August 2014. An April 16 referendum changed the constitution to allow the president to be a member of a political party.