A prominent journalist known for his closeness to Turkish government circles, Abdulkadir Selvi, a columnist for the "Hürriyet" newspaper, has published a notable article regarding the discussions surrounding the "post-Erdoğan era".
According to **Modern.az**, Selvi stated that an artificial confrontation and discord are being attempted within the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) over the "post-Erdoğan" topic, and the purpose of this process is to pit the party's key figures against each other.
The article emphasizes that this scenario has been applied previously in Turkish political history. In Selvi's opinion, similar processes occurred in ANAP after Özal and in DYP after Demirel, and those parties suffered from this internal fragmentation.
He notes that the same plan could now be launched for the AK Party under the name "post-Erdoğan". In this context, the journalist explicitly states that, in his view, "after Erdoğan, it is still Erdoğan".
In his article, Selvi specifically emphasizes Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's leadership, noting that the AK Party has been in power for 23 years, and during this period, two presidents and four prime ministers have emerged from within the party. In his opinion, it is illogical for a party with such a political history to seek an alternative leader while a strong leader who still governs the country is in place.
The article highlights that Turkey is going through a difficult and sensitive period, both regionally and globally. Selvi writes that having an experienced political and statesman at a stage where even a third world war is being discussed globally is a significant advantage for Turkey. In this context, he also sharply criticizes opposition leaders and raises the question of who the country's fate will be entrusted to.
One of the most striking parts of the article concerns four names that Selvi claims could become targets in the "post-Erdoğan" discussions. The journalist stated that four names are more prominent within the ruling party:
- Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan
- Head of the National Intelligence Organization İbrahim Kalın
- Erdoğan's son Bilal Erdoğan
- Head of "Baykar" company, Erdoğan's son-in-law Selçuk Bayraktar
It should be noted that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was first elected president in 2014 and retained the position of head of state in 2018 and 2023.
His current term of office ends in May 2028. According to the Turkish Constitution, a president can be elected twice, but Erdoğan's candidacy was possible because the 2023 elections were held against the backdrop of a parliamentary decision for early elections. Whether he will be a candidate again after 2028 remains an open question from both a legal and political perspective.
