May 06, 2016

Turkish Prime Minister Resigns Amid Tension With Erdoğan

Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoğlu announced that he will resign on May 22nd and not run for office again. Although Davutoğlu pledged his unyielding support for President Erdoğan, his resignation comes after days of rumors regarding the two leaders’ deteriorating relationship. Davutoğlu was expected to be a pliant PM but after 20 months in office, he butted heads with the president on numerous occasions, challenging many of Erdoğan’s controversial policies that would lead to changes in the constitution and an increase of the president’s powers (also known as the Putin shuffle). 

What does this mean?

Davutoğlu’s resignation further consolidates President Erdoğan’s position as Turkey’s unrivaled political leader.  This, obviously, concerns the parties outside of AKP that already believe the country is becoming increasingly authoritarian with Erdoğan at the helm. Davutoğlu was a political ally and still ousted for seemingly humble challenges, so the rest of parliament should be cautious in making jokes. If there is one thing Erdoğan can’t take, it’s a joke.

Yes, I want to sound marginally more intelligent: