If any confirmation was still needed about the increasing authoritarianism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it came on May 5. Ahmet Davutoglu’s decision to step down from both the post of Prime Minister and the leadership of the ruling AK Party was the culmination of long-simmering tensions between him and the President. Mr. Davutoglu, appointed Prime Minister by Mr. Erdogan in 2014 when he demitted office to become President, has always been seen to be a loyal AK Party member. There are no suggestions of major ideological differences between him and Mr. Erdogan. Mr. Davutoglu, as Foreign Minister, was instrumental in the Erdogan government’s intrusive regional policy, which has backfired terribly. Nonetheless, as Prime Minister he disagreed with Mr. Erdogan over his quest to grab more power, the crackdown on voices of dissent, and the future of peace talks with Kurdish rebels. Of late, tensions were palpable as Mr. Erdogan accused Mr. Davutoglu of stealing the spotlight when the latter successfully concluded a visa-free travel deal with the European Union. When the AK Party’s executive body last week stripped Mr. Davutoglu of the right to appoint provincial party officials, it was clear the President was acting against the Prime Minister.
Mr. Erdogan, who as President is supposed to be above party politics, has never shown any inclination to end his partisan manoeuvring. He used his popularity to overcome the constitutional limitations of the largely ceremonial presidency. This allowed him to manipulate government decisions despite the Prime Minister being more powerful than the President under Turkey’s Constitution. Even when Mr. Davutoglu was technically the head of the AK Party, there was no doubt who the boss was. Now with Mr. Davutoglu on his way out, Mr. Erdogan has got the last prominent voice of resistance in the party silenced. He can now continue with the military operation against Kurdish rebels and embark on this plan to rewrite the Constitution. It is not clear yet if Mr. Erdogan’s latest actions will cost him politically. His brand of Islamist politics has a constituency in Turkey. But his drift to authoritarianism is causing serious damage to the Turkish state and democracy. His attempts to undercut the parliamentary system are unprecedented in the country’s recent history. Attacks on free speech, media freedom and dissent are on the rise. Mr. Erdogan’s Syria policy was disastrous; it made Turkey further vulnerable to jihadist violence, while leaving a massive refugee problem. The war on Kurdish militants is turning ugly with government forces facing allegations about targetting Kurdish civilians. The priorities of a responsible Turkish leader should be to take immediate steps to address these challenges. Unfortunately, Mr. Erdogan’s primary focus is on seizing more power, never mind the damage he is doing to his country.
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