Behind the breakaway plans are former deputy prime minister Ali Babacan and former president Abdullah Gul, both founding members of Erdogan's AK Party (AKP), according to two political advisers.
Sunday's re-run mayoral election delivered the second loss in recent months for the AK Party (AKP) in Turkey's largest city, a bitter setback for the president who has ruled for 16 years. It has also emboldened critics within his own party who have for years hinted at plans to form a rival party because of dissatisfaction over Erdogan's increasing powers over the party and government.
With economicrecession, unemployment and inflation hurting Turkish voters and eating intothe AKP's support base, any further erosion – even just a few percentage pointsof voter support – could be deeply damaging for the party, which already relieson an alliance with nationalists for its parliamentary majority.
"Babacan andGul will most likely form the party in the fall," said one of theadvisers, who is close to Babacan.
The new party's policies would mirror the early years of the AKP, the adviser added. When the AKP was launched in 2001, it blended an Islamist-rooted outlook with a pro-Western, democratic and liberate market approach which enjoyed broad popular backing.
The two men havebeen considering establishing the party for around six months, but the processhas been given momentum by the AKP's loss of Turkey's main cities in the March31 municipal elections, said the other adviser, who is familiar with the plansfor the new party.
He did not say howthe party would be funded but said the preparation so far had included meetingswith current AKP parliamentarians, other politicians and academics.
