Turkey’s Davutoglu to quit Erdogan’s AK Party
Move comes after his criticisms of party policies
Ankara: Ahmet Davutoglu, once President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s handpicked prime minister, plans to announce his resignation from the ruling AK Party at a press conference on Friday, two sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
Davutoglu held consultations with about 30 people who served at senior positions at the AK Party in the past before he decided to quit, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The move comes after the ruling party took disciplinary action against Davutoglu over his criticism of party policies.
The former premier, who also served as the party’s chairman after Erdogan, launched a rebellion against his fellow party members earlier this year, ripping into policies from the management of economy to curbing of basic liberties and free speech.
He is expected to talk about his plans to establish a new political movement at Friday’s press conference.