Turkey’s president rejoins ruling party after referendum win
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s president on Tuesday rejoined the ruling party he co-founded in a step on his path toward solidifying his grip on power, following his narrow victory in last month’s referendum.
Most of the constitutional changes ushering in a presidential system, approved in the April 16 referendum, will take effect after the November 2019 election. But an amendment that reverses a requirement for the president to be non-partisan and cut ties with their party come into effect immediately, allowing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to return to the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party, or AKP.
The party is expected to re-elect Erdogan as its chairman at an extraordinary congress on May 21.
Erdogan symbolically signed a membership form in an emotional ceremony at the AKP’s headquarters, where some party members were seen weeping. Erdogan was also seen wiping his eyes with a handkerchief.