After heavy losses of the Turkish ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the local elections, a prominent member of the AKP has resigned. Former Economics Minister Ali Babacan sent a document to the party headquarters today, numerous media reported.
They also cited a letter to the public that Babacan allegedly distributed. In it he seemed to confirm rumors about a new party.
„Delimitation in the heart experienced“
He had stood behind the party for a long time, wrote Babacan. But in recent years, ditches have opened up between the principles he believes in and the actions of the party. „Intellectually and in the heart I have experienced a demarcation,“ it said.
It had become „indispensable to make new efforts for the present and future of Turkey“. He feels great responsibility for that. It is also about improving the reputation of the country. „Human rights, freedoms, progressive democracy and jurisdiction are our indispensable principles.“
Merger with Gül?
Over the past few months, rumor has surfaced that Babacan, along with ex-president Abdullah Gül, wants to recruit ACP members for a new party who disapprove of Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian style of politics. Similar reports were also made about former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Observers rated the unrest in Erdogan’s party as a sign of loss of power.
In the regular municipal election on March 31, the AKP had lost in many major cities approval. The main reason was the bad economic situation, some also reacted to Erdogans aggressive rhetoric. The country’s most important mayor position in Istanbul coincided not only with March but also with the re-election of the June 23 election to opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu, who scored positive and unanimous messages.
