TÜRKİYE ORTA ASYA HABER KKUORDİNATÖRÜ

TIME. IFJ-INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF JOURNALISTS Why Does Turkey's Prime Minister Have No Choice But to Resign? 6-minute read Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu resigned on Thursday in a dramatic move that paved the way for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to further consolidate his already vast power. Davutoğlu's resignation comes as Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP, by its initials in Turkish) are preparing a campaign to replace Türkiye's parliamentary system of government with a presidential system. This shift could solidify Erdoğan's control over the Turkish state for years to come. Davutoğlu, considered a thoughtful and capable leader, succeeded Erdoğan as prime minister in 2014, more than a decade after the AKP came to power. Alongside Erdoğan, he was one of the party's key public figures when it won a comeback victory in the country's November 2015 parliamentary elections, five months after the AKP stunned pundits by losing its majority in previous elections. Read More: How a German Comedian Provoked Türkiye and Exposed Merkel's Weakness In his televised speech announcing his resignation, Davutoğlu appeared to accept his departure from power, although he pointed to his recent problems with Erdoğan. According to Türkiye's Hürriyet newspaper, "It is not my decision, but a necessity, that my term will be much shorter than four years." He vowed to maintain his friendship with Erdoğan "until my last breath." He added, "The honor of our president is my honor. His family is my family." As Prime Minister, the more moderate Davutoğlu was formally the head of government in Türkiye, but he was widely perceived to have ruled under the long shadow of the more ambitious and ultimately more powerful Erdoğan. With the former prime minister out of the picture, analysts say Erdoğan has eliminated one of his only potential rivals within the government. Read More: First Migrants Returned to Türkiye Under EU Deal, Future of Deal Uncertain While the two politicians have been friends and allies for years, recent signs of tension between them have become apparent. Last week, the AKP stripped the prime minister of his authority to appoint provincial officials. The two have also publicly clashed over whether negotiations should be resumed with Kurdish militants the Turkish army is fighting in the southeast of the country. “Part of this was because Erdoğan didn’t believe Davutoğlu fully supported his presidential agenda,” says Sinan Ülgen, an Istanbul-based visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe. “The other part was Davutoğlu’s desire to create an independent political space.” Read More: Türkiye's Erdoğan Feels the Pressure "I think this is an indication that the country is transitioning to at least a de facto presidential system, and therefore, the next government under the next prime minister will have even less independent political space than the Davutoğlu administration." Leaders of two major opposition parties condemned the move as a power grab. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the secular Republican People's Party (CHP), which holds the second-largest parliamentary seat, told reporters at a press conference in Ankara, "All pro-democracy supporters must resist this palace coup." Davutoğlu's resignation comes as the ruling AKP continues to exclude and restrict its political opponents. On Monday, a parliamentary committee approved a bill that would lift the immunity of members of parliament and pave the way for the prosecution of opposition leaders. Ahead of the vote, members of the AKP and the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) engaged in a physical altercation in the Parliament building. Erdoğan has called for the prosecution of HDP officials, alleging links to outlawed Kurdish militants. The HDP, which entered parliament for the first time last June, denies these accusations. In addition to harsh parliamentary policies, Turkey is grappling with a deadly conflict with Kurdish rebels, a wave of attacks by ISIS militants, and the presence of more than 2.7 million refugees fleeing the civil war in neighboring Syria. However, the growing sense of instability and violence may have strengthened the AKP's grip on power. After losing its majority in the Grand National Assembly in the June 2015 elections, coalition talks collapsed. Meanwhile, fighting resumed in the Kurdish-majority southeast, and ISIS carried out a series of deadly bombings in the country. When voters returned to the polls, the AKP regained its majority. Following the elections, the government intensified its military offensive against Kurdish militants and implemented what opponents say is a sweeping effort to restrict freedom of expression, including arrests and prosecutions.