Future Party (Turkey)
Conservative political party in Turkey
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The Future Party (Turkish: Gelecek Partisi, GP)[18] was a political party operating in Turkey, founded on 12 December 2019, under the leadership of Ahmet Davutoğlu. According to the party's bylaws, its official abbreviation was "Future Party." Its symbol was a sycamore leaf. It had three members in the Turkish Grand National Assembly just before the closure announcement. However, due to joint group efforts, all three were members of Yeni Yol. Its leader was Ahmet Davutoğlu, from the foundation in 2019 to closure of the party in 2026.
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Future Party Gelecek Partisi | |
|---|---|
| |
| Abbreviation | Gelecek Partisi (official) GP (unofficial) |
| Leader | Ahmet Davutoğlu |
| Founder | Ahmet Davutoğlu |
| Founded | 12 December 2019 |
| Dissolved | 22 August 2026[1] |
| Split from | Justice and Development Party[2] |
| Membership (2026) |  60,494[3] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right[10] to right-wing[11] |
| National affiliation | Table of Six (2022–2023) Nation Alliance (2023) Felicity and Future Alliance (2023–2025) New Path (2025–2026) |
| Colors | Green, Dark green, White (official) Lime green (customary) |
| Slogan | Bizim bir Geleceğimiz var ('We have a Future')[12] |
| Website | |
| gelecekpartisi.org.tr | |
The party supports the strengthened parliamentary system proposed by the country's opposition parties.
History
Formation
The Future Party was founded on 12 December 2019 by Ahmet Davutoğlu, a former foreign minister and prime minister on behalf of the conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP). Having been elected prime minister on 28 August 2014 with the support of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Davutoğlu later opposed the latter's moves to transform Turkey's form of government from a parliamentary to a presidential system. His conflict with Erdoğan culminated in Davutoğlu's resignation from the premiership, effective from 22 May 2016.[19]
Following his resignation, Davutoğlu frequently criticized the AKP government, which led the party to launch disciplinary actions against him.[20] In response, he resigned from the AKP on 13 September 2019. He later expressed interest in forming a new party in opposition to President Erdoğan's administration, and ultimately launched the Future Party on 12 December 2019. The new party immediately published a list of 154 founding members which included numerous former AKP officials and affiliates.[21]
The Future Party opened its headquarters building in Çankaya on July 26, 2020. In the statement made by Davutoğlu on April 2, 2021, he stated that the party was entitled to participate in the elections by the Supreme Election Council (YSK).[22] Other notable founding members of the party include Mehmet Behçet Piker who joined the party in 2019. Piker is a former vice president of Sabancı Holding and the father of the famous American Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.[23][24]
Merger proposal with DEVA Party (2023)
When agreement on forming a group failed, DEVA Party and the Future Party considered a full merger to form a group, and the possibility of a co-chairmanship was discussed. However, DEVA Party Chairman Ali Babacan deemed the co-chairmanship unsuitable, stating that it "could lead to dual leadership and a confusion of messages within the party leadership, and would be unsustainable.[25]
A party official who participated in the talks stated that the parties had considered "the possibility of a future merger by establishing an umbrella party in Parliament," but that this was not deemed feasible. It was also reported that the majority of DEVA Party organizations were unsympathetic to the idea of forming a group outside of the legal entity, and that discussions between the Felicity Party and the Future Party were ongoing, but had not yielded any results.
Establishing a joint group with the Felicity Party
On July 6, 2023, officials from the Felicity Party and the Future Party announced an agreement to establish a joint parliamentary group. Following the signing of a protocol titled "Felicity Party-Future Party Alliance," Future Party deputies Mustafa Nedim Yamalı, Serap Yazıcı Özbudun, Cemalettin Kani Torun, Sema Silkin Ün, Selim Temurci, İsa Mesih Şahin, Doğan Demir, Mustafa Bilici, Hasan Ekici, and Selçuk Özdağ resigned from their respective parties and joined the Felicity Party, enabling the Felicity Party to establish a parliamentary group. Selçuk Özdağ became the chairman of this new group.[26][27]
Dissolution
On 29 July 2026, party leader Davutoğlu announced that the party would dissolve itself the following month.[28] Saying in a follow up statement: “We have decided to withdraw from party politics and bring the Future Party’s political activities to an end, in order to avoid becoming part of the polluted political climate."[29]
Policies
Davutoğlu has stated that the new party would push for a new constitution, a return to a parliamentary system, and education in minority languages.[30] Moreover, the manifesto of the party criticized the current lack of rights for the Kurdish minority.[31]
Election results
Board
Source:[32]
| # | Name | Mission |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmet Davutoğlu | Chairman |
| 2 | Ayhan Sefer Üstün | Deputy Chairman |
| 3 | Hasan Seymen | Secretary General |
| 4 | İzzettin Küçük | Head of Political Affairs and Internal Affairs |
| 5 | Ömer Ünal | Head of the Organization |
| 6 | Mustafa Gözel | Head of Civil Society and Public Relations |
| 7 | Ali Aydın | Head of Law and Justice Policies |
| 8 | Hasan Hüseyin Bozok | President of Local Governments |
| 9 | Rumi Bekiroğlu | Head of Election Affairs |
| 10 | Aynur Algül | Head of Family and Social Policies |
| 11 | Feridun Bilgin | Head of Economic Policies |
| 12 | Engin Keskinel | Minister of communications |
| 13 | Ümit Yardım | Director of Foreign Policy and Defense |
| 14 | Selami Çalışkan | Head of Informatics and R&D |
| 15 | Meryem Türktekin | President of Human, Nature and Environmental Rights |
| 16 | Abdullah Başçı | Head of Administrative and Financial Affairs |
| 17 | Yeşim Karadağ | Head of Women's Policies |
| 18 | Muhammed Mustafa Çakmakçı | Head of Youth Policies |
| 19 | Yusuf Ziya Özcan | Head of Education and Science Policies |
| 20 | Alptekin Hocaoğlu | Head of Health Policies |
| 21 | Burçak Başbuğ Erkan | Head of Food Safety and Agriculture |
| 22 | Can Cankesen | President of Labor and Social Security |
| 23 | Ferhat Esener | President of Industry and Technology |
| 24 | Alaattin Fırat | Head of Commerce |
| 25 | Haydar Çiftçi | President of Urbanization |
| 26 | Mehmet Bekhan | Head of Culture and Tourism Policies |
| 27 | Zekayi Doğan | President of Energy and Natural Resources |
| 28 | Mehmet Kuğu | Director of Transport and Infrastructure |
General Presidents
| Position | Name | Photograph | Took office | Left office | Term of Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founding leader | Ahmet Davutoğlu | _(cropped).jpg) |
19 December 2019 | 22 August 2026 | 6 years, 246 days |
Parliaments
Members of Parliament serving in the New Path group
| # | Name | constituency | Dutys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Selçuk Özdağ | Muğla | Deputy Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey's New Path Group |
| 2 | Cemalettin Kani Torun | Bursa (II) | parliament |
| 3 | Sema Silkin Ün | Denizli |
Future Party and elections
Parliamentary elections
The Future Party decided to participate in the 2023 general elections from the Republican People's Party lists.[33] Nineteen places were reserved for the Future Party from the CHP lists.[34] As a result of the elections, 10 people became members of parliament.[35]
| Election | Leader | Election Results | Chairs | Government | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of votes | % | ± | # | ± | |||
| 2023 | Ahmet Davutoğlu | In accordance with the additional protocol of the Nation Alliance, he participated in the elections from the CHP lists. | 10 / 600 |
 10 |
Opposition | ||
Presidential Elections
| Election | Candidate | First Tour | Second Tour | Sonuç | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of votes | % | ± | Oy sayısı | % | |||
| 2023 | .png)
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu Nation Alliance Joint Candidate |
24.595.178 | 44,88% (#2) | — | 25.504.724 | 47,8% (#2) | could not be selected |
Local Elections
| Election | Leader | City council | Mayor's office | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of votes | % | ± | Number of votes | % | # | ± | ||
| 2024 | Ahmet Davutoğlu | 53.898 | 0,11 (#18) | Yeni | 34.212 | 0,07 (#21) | 0 / 1,389 |
New |
Interim local elections
The Future Party participated in the 2021 mayoral election in Güney, a town in the Sinanpaşa district of Afyonkarahisar. AK Party candidate Erol Karabacak was elected mayor, receiving 1021 of the 1606 valid votes cast, out of a total of 1709. The Future Party candidate, who finished fifth, received 17 votes.[36]