Turkey’s prime minister announces resignation
Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu has announced his resignation, the Guardian reports referring to divisions between Davutoglu and Erdogan, rumoured for months, erupted into the open on Wednesday, with the two leaders holding crisis talks at the presidential palace.
According to the report, Davutoglu said on Thursday he would step down after an extraordinary party meeting to be held on 22 May.
Speaking at the ruling Justice and Development (AK) party’s headquarters in Ankara, Davutoglu listed his accomplishments while in office, underlining that he steered the country through turmoil and terrorist attacks with “an iron will”. He added that he would continue his work for the AK party as an MP and that there should not be any doubts over the stability of the government.
“A strong AKP government will continue to lead for the next four years, and there should not be any doubts concerning safety and stability,” Davutoglu said, as quoted by the newspaper.
He said that his decision to resign was not a “choice, but a necessity” that was made after consultations with the president. He added that one reason for stepping down was a decision by the party’s executive to take away his authority to appoint provincial party leaders.
To remind, Ahmet Davutoglu became prime minister of Turkey in August 2014 when Tayyip Erdogan became Turkish President in the first direct nationwide elections.