Minister of Transport Named as Potential Next Turkish Prime Minister

Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication Binali Yildirim has the best chances of becoming the next leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and prime minister of Turkey, local media reported Tuesday.

ANKARA (Sputnik) – Party survey, held before the congress to elect the new party leader, names Yildirim as the leading candidate, with Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag and Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus also mentioned by the Hurriyet newspaper as possible contenders.

On May 5, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed media reports that he would step down from the post of AKP leader and consequently the post of the country's prime minister after an extraordinary meeting of party leaders scheduled for May 22.