Controversial Turkish deputy elected to AKP congress post

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A controversial member of parliament has been elected to the bureau of the Sept. 12 congress of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara.

The party’s youth branch chief, Istanbul deputy Abdürrahim Boynukalın, who delivered a speech in front of Hürriyet daily’s headquarters on Sept. 7 when the newspaper was attacked by a crowd, was elected to the bureau tasked with conducting procedures of the congress.



Former deputy prime minister and justice minister, Bekir Bozdağ, has been elected as president of the bureau members of which have been elected unanimously.

In a fiery speech in front of the newspaper building, Boynukalın had vowed to “make Recep Tayyip Erdoğan the president” with extended powers - regardless of the result of the Nov. 1 election.

In his speech, Boynukalın targeted Erdoğan’s critics, claiming they supported the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and threatened to force journalists out of Turkey after Nov. 1.