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Erdogan’s heir apparent

The candidate lists for Turkey's upcoming elections have been released, and the ruling party's is led by the president's son-in-law.
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Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long been rumored to have anointed his son-in-law and energy minister, Berat Albayrak, as his political heir. The rumors gained traction with the submission of candidate lists by political parties competing in the June 24 parliamentary elections that are to be held concurrently with the presidential one. The lists offer clues about the likely architecture of Erdogan’s planned new government — provided, naturally, that he wins.

Albayrak’s name was at the top of the slate of the president’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for Istanbul’s first district, where Erdogan himself ran before he ascended to the presidency in 2014. The move suggests that Erdogan may be planning to elevate Albayrak to the chairmanship of the AKP in a bid to secure family control over the party.

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