Turkish New Welfare Party’s Erbakan announces presidential candidacy
Turkey's Islamist New Welfare Party (YRP) leader Fatih Erbakan has announced his presidential bid and launched campaign efforts. He said the party would field its own candidate this time, citing strong expectations from supporters.
Duvar English
Fatih Erbakan, chair of Turkey's radical Islamist New Welfare Party (YRP), on Feb. 1 announced his candidacy for president and said he had begun campaign efforts for the 2028 presidential elections.
The New Welfare Party's social media account declared, "Our presidential candidate is Dr. Fatih Erbakan!" Erbakan shared the post, writing, "Here we go!"
During a Jan. 31 broadcast, Erbakan said that the party would nominate its own candidate this time. The party organization and supporters had significant expectations and demands regarding Erbakan's candidacy, he said.
"In the previous election, we withdrew from the presidential race during the signature collection process. Politically and logically, it would not be appropriate for us to refrain from running in favor of another candidate once again."
"This time, the New Welfare Party will field its own presidential candidate, and it is entirely natural for that candidate to be the leader of the party," he said.
Before the 2023 general election, YRP signed an alliance protocol with Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), including subtle clauses to usurp the rights of women and the LGBTI+ community.
The party was able to take five deputies to the parliament after receiving 2.8 percent of the votes.
After the YRP decided to field mayoral candidates in key places following a negotiation disagreement with AKP, the AKP said the YRP was no longer a part of the ruling People’s Alliance.
The party unprecedentedly garnered 6.19 percent of votes, becoming the third party nationwide in the 2024 local elections.
YRP emerged from the same political Islamist lineage as the AKP, known as National Vision (Milli Görüş in Turkish). Its leader, Fatih Erbakan, is the son of one of Turkey's most prominent figures in political Islam, Necmettin Erbakan, who was Erdoğan’s mentor.
YRP ran a misogynistic and anti-LGBTI+ campaign and obtained “moral municipalism” as their local election campaign slogan.