Erdogan taps Yildirim for Istanbul mayoral race

Announc ng the rul ng Just ce and Development (AK) Party’s cand dates for greater Istanbul as well ts 39 d str cts, Recep Tayy p Erdogan named B nal Y ld r m, the current parl ament speaker and former pr me m n ster, to seek the Istanbul mayor’s post. Y ld r m, 63, Turkey’s last pr me m n ster, f rst won a seat n parl ament as a deputy for Istanbul n the fall 2002 elect ons, wh ch swept the AK Party nto power, and served as m n ster of transport and commun cat ons through 2007. Tak ng on several other roles dur ng the AK Party era, he was elected as pr me m n ster n May 2016. After campa gn ng to sh ft Turkey to a pres dent al system of government n an Apr l 2017 referendum, Y ld r m bowed out as pr me m n ster before be ng elected Parl ament speaker. Y ld r m speaks French and Engl sh.