Ahmet Davutoglu, prime minister of Turkey, has been ousted after a bruising power tussle with President Erdogan, and a final knife in the back from his party.
The ruling AKP has announced that it will select a new leader in an extraordinary congress on May 22, and that Mr Davutoglu will not be running.
His impending departure comes after days of intrigue, sniping and crisis talks that exposed the deepening rift between the two men. They have been at odds over a number of issues, including the jailing of journalists and academics, which Mr Davutoglu opposes. The key issue, however, is the constitution: Mr Erdogan wants to transform Turkey into a presidential system — concentrating power in his own hands and, critics say, setting himself up to be leader for life. Mr Davutoglu opposed the move.
The end was in sight for the prime minister late last week when the AKP’s executive board voted by 46 to 4 to strip him of his powers to select provincial officials. He was out of the country when the decision was taken and on his return he was forced to approve it.
He held crisis talks with Mr Erdogan on Wednesday evening, but to no avail. Less than 24 hours later, he emerged from an emergency meeting with the AKP’s executive committee to give a statement in which he lambasted his colleagues, saying that “the decision to strip me of my powers was not in keeping with the behaviour I would expect”.
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He confirmed that he would be stepping down. “I decided that for the unity of the party, a change of chairman would be more appropriate. I am not considering running at the May 22 congress.”
His hurried departure, after a mere 20 months in office, is the latest sign of Mr Erdogan’s reluctance to relinquish any power within the party that he helped to found, and which has turned into a force that is reshaping Turkish politics.
Mr Davutoglu’s replacement is likely to be selected for their support for Mr Erdogan and his plans to change the constitution. The favourite is Bekir Bozdag, the justice minister, a loyal follower of the president who, as an Islamic theologian, is fully aligned with the party’s core conservative values.
Berat Albayrak, the energy minister, and son-in-law of the president, is also a contender.
Rumours of snap parliamentary elections after the selection — a move that could give the AKP the two thirds of seats that it needs to change the constitution without a popular referendum — were rife yesterday, with pundits predicting that Turks could head to the polls for the third time in a year as early as October.
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Until then, the party can be in little doubt over who is in charge. Even on his way out, Mr Davutoglu was careful to gloss over his tumultuous relationship with the president. “I will not accept any speculation over my relationship with Mr Erdogan,” he said, visibly shaken as he spoke from the podium. “We have always stood shoulder to shoulder. His honour is my honour.”