New center-right party aims at Erdoğan’s AKP

The new party is expected to announce its establishment under the name of the “Center Party” on July 7. It claims “center,” but despite some of the individuals expected to be among the founders being of center-left origin, the majority and those having their grassroots links are of right wing origin.

A professor of law from Istanbul, Abdurrahim Karslı, a name that very few people have heard of in political circles, is likely to be its founding chairman. In a recent interview with daily “Milliyet,” he refuted the media claims that the driving force of the Center Party (MP) was the Fethullah Gülen’s Hizmet Movement. Once a close ally of Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, Gülen, a moderate Islamic scholar living in the U.S., is almost public enemy number one in the eyes of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. That was after a major graft probe opened on Dec. 17, 2013, in which names from Erdoğan’s government, party and even his family were involved; Erdoğan accused Gülenist judges, prosecutors and police officers of being behind it and trying to undermine his power. But Karslı also denies that he went to Gülen’s farm house in Pennsylvania to consult with him and receive his consent about the MP that he is about to announce.

Saying he would be one of the founders, Haluk Pirimoğlu, who has recently resigned from the administration of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) opposition in Parliament told Hürriyet Daily News they wanted to attract voters who are voting for the AK Parti, not because they agreed with Erdoğan, but because they cannot find what they want in opposition parties; mainly the MHP and the social democratic...