London-Sana
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's repressive policies against his opponents, economic mismanagement and ignorance of the rule of law have forced his old friends and allies away from him, disowned his policies and formed parties against his ruling party, the Financial Times reported.
The newspaper said in an article by writer Laura Beetle that the most prominent defectors from Erdogan's party is his former close ally, Ahmet Davutoglu, who was sacked as prime minister in September 2016.He vowed to continue “loyalty” to Erdogan, but three years later he broke his silence to emerge as the biggest critic of Erdogan's policies. And his government.
Ihsanoglu, one of several former ministers who left the party in recent months, is now leading one of two groups of former party members planning to create a political movement that challenges Erdogan, while the second is led by former Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and co-founder of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Ali Babacan. Veteran politicians expect to formally launch new parties before the end of the year.
Prominent members of both camps argue that this is motivated by Erdogan's dangerous policies: his increasingly repressive tactics toward opponents and opponents, his nationalist rhetoric, his economic mismanagement, his disregard for the rule of law and his apparent unwillingness to listen to those who urge him to change course. "We thought he might understand the message, but there were always excuses, and we thought that if we don't act now, we will regret it in the future."
The defection is important not only because of the unprecedented rift within the ruling party, but also for its negative impact and potential damage to Erdogan's 17-year hegemony on the political stage.
Despite his continued attempts to deviate himself from Erdogan, many are skeptical that he is the main architect of the AKP's foreign policy over the past years and is one of the Turkish regime's policy makers supporting terrorism in Syria and the region.
The newspaper pointed out that the popular song that Erdogan likes to chant in political rallies that says "We walked along these roads" seems to have found no response to others.
"Solidarity in the AKP has become elusive," says Turkish journalist Baris Turkoglu. "Only a few of the people who founded the party with Erdogan in 2001 are still on his side."
The newspaper pointed out that "disputes and disagreements in the top positions of the ruling party is entrenched .. The former ministers say there are signs that Erdogan stopped listening to them a decade ago and no longer accept criticism."
The sources pointed out that these tensions were exacerbated when Erdogan faced a series of challenges to his leadership, including the mass protests that swept the country in 2013, the investigation of the corruption of his government later that year and the attempted coup in 2016.
The emergence of Erdogan's son-in-law Berat al-Bairaq, who was in charge of the economy until last year, was another major flashpoint as he and his powerful influential network of close allies became the centerpiece of most of the party's criticism.
The clashes between al-Bairaq faction and Davutoglu have accelerated the latter's departure from the post of prime minister in 2016.In recent years, al-Bairaq clashed with Interior Minister Suleyman Soyo as well as Justice Minister Abdul Hamid Gul.
Many in the AKP believe that 41-year-old Bairaq is causing great damage to the ruling party and resent the overall influence he has gained beyond his position as treasury and finance minister.
Erdogan's influence culminated in 2018 when the regime was amended to abolish the role and powers of the prime minister and put concentrated power in his hand and his grip on the AKP reflected his control of the state, said one former minister and current AKP member. The party has its internal checks and balances. Now control is in the hands of one man. ”
The Financial Times pointed out that Erdogan's painful defeat in local elections finally pushed the silent members to act after years of backstage grumbling. For the first time since he took power in 2002, the AKP lost control of the country's biggest and most important city in March, when voters punished it. In Istanbul because of the economic downturn that followed the currency crisis last year and agreements between the opposition parties paid off.
The decision to reinstate Istanbul's municipal elections came under pressure from Erdogan, which the opposition won backfired with the latter's expectations, with the opposition gaining a greater victory over the AKP. And development, warning that the party and the country can not be left in the hands of a narrow-minded group looking for its own interest and became a slave to its ambition.
Two months later, Babacan resigned from the party he co-founded and said Turkey needed a "completely new vision."
Erdogan threatened to defect and intend to defect from the party, saying: "We have seen a lot of people defect from us and form new parties," threatening that those whom he accused of "treason" will pay a high price.
The paper pointed out that Erdogan may try to change course in the face of this growing insurgency and may seek to secure another term, but some AK Party defectors are convinced that due to its tense relations with the West and the faltering economy and his disintegrating party, it is likely that he has reached a dead end and that after his rule Spanning for nearly two decades, the AKP could disintegrate at amazing speed.
The paper said one of the biggest questions facing separatist factions from the AK Party, led by Ahmet Davutoglu and Ali Babacan, was whether they were willing to work with other opposition parties and whether the opposition would accept them.
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