Erdogan bans succession gossip as AK Party rivalry intensifies

WISE NEWS PRESS / ANKARA, TURKEY

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly issued a strict "gossip ban" within the Presidency and AK Party headquarters, targeting internal speculation regarding who will succeed him as the next leader of the party and the country.

According to political analyst Ahmet Takan, citing high-level sources within the Presidential Palace, the Erdogan family has reached a definitive consensus to position Bilal Erdogan as the primary candidate for the presidency in the post-Erdogan era. This internal development coincides with a series of coordinated public messages from both the President and his son, focusing on religious values, family preservation, and increasing the national birth rate.

Bilal Erdogan promotes religious social values

Speaking at the General Assembly of the Turkey Youth NGOs Platform, Bilal Erdogan emphasized the need to reinforce the social perception that "religious people are good people." Analyst Takan suggests that these remarks, aimed at rebuilding a pious generation's image, are part of a calculated propaganda strategy to elevate Bilal Erdogan’s political profile. Observers note that this rhetoric echoes the "pious generation" goals previously championed by the AK Party over the last two decades.

Demographic concerns and "At Least 3 Children"

During a recent art exhibition opening, President Erdogan expressed his disappointment regarding Turkey’s declining birth rate, noting that his long-standing "at least three children" recommendation has yet to yield desired results. Erdogan lamented that even his closest circles sometimes oppose the idea of population growth. He described the expansion of the "Muslim nation" as a religious and national necessity, framing the demographic shift as a significant challenge for the country’s future.

Bahceli’s preference: Selcuk Bayraktar

While the internal race appears to be narrowing between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Bilal Erdogan, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli reportedly holds a different preference. Sources within the MHP suggest that Bahceli’s favored candidate for the future leadership of the People's Alliance is Selcuk Bayraktar, the architect of Turkey's drone program and Erdogan's son-in-law. Meanwhile, other potential contenders such as Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş remain in the wings as the "succession race" continues to dominate behind-the-scenes discussions in Ankara.

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Source : Ahmet Takan / Yeniçağ