ANKARA (Sputnik) – Yildirim’s candidacy was upheld by 1,405 out of the 1,470 delegates.
His predecessor Ahmet Davutoglu declined to stand for reelection amid a growing spat with Erdogan, who is seen vying to consolidate power.
In a farewell speech hours earlier, Davutoglu said holding the AKP extraordinary convention after the November 2015 election "was not something I had demanded" in another sign of disaffection with Erdogan.
Despite vocal foreign and domestic concerns, Erdogan is poised to hold a referendum to abolish the 1923 constitution and its parliamentary system to complete his executive sweep.
