Rumors that former allies of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are poised to launch at least one rival party are continuing to stir debate in the run-up to nationwide municipal elections due to be held on March 31.

Former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is the name that pops up with the most frequency as the leader of a new alliance that will purportedly assemble pious conservatives, liberals and disgruntled members of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP). Former President Abdullah Gul and two former economy ministers, Ali Babacan and Mehmet Simsek, are said to be mulling a party of their own. There’s another rumor that all of the above will join hands against their former boss. A well-informed source told Al-Monitor, “Davutoglu is the most enthusiastic of the lot and believes that once he forms a party, the others will join him.” Gul allegedly favors a new party led by Babacan, a well respected figure in international circles who remains untainted by corruption, rather than lead one himself. “Davutoglu wants to be the leader himself, though,” said the source, who spoke on condition that he not be identified.

A speech Davutoglu delivered Feb. 9 in Ankara preceded by prayers at the ancient Haci Bayram Mosque offered clues to his ambitions. He lamented the “shallowness of intellectual life in recent times” and reminded his audience that inflation stood at a measly 3% when he stepped down as prime minister in November 2015 (pushed out by Erdogan.) Baris Terkoglu, a columnist for the opposition Cumhuriyet who was present at the 95-minute talk, noted, “He systematically criticized the AKP’s policies that followed his reign.”

None of the alleged hopefuls has commented publicly on the claims so far, but Erdogan has.