Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu resigns over rift with Erdogan

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has announced his decision to leave the chairmanship of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) at an extraordinary convention on May 22, underlining that the real reason behind his departure was not his failure as premier but differences with his colleagues over principles.

“My term [as prime minister] was one of success. With this decision, there is no feeling of unsuccessfulness or regret over what I have done. I did my job properly and with honor,” Davutoğlu said at a press conference after the AKP’s central-decision making body decided to hold an extraordinary convention on May 22.

“The fact that my term lasted far shorter than four years is not a decision of mine but a necessity,” he said, hinting at recently surfaced in-house tension with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the main reason for his sudden departure.

However, Davutoğlu vowed that he would not permit AKP opponents to weaken the government, instead calling on all his colleagues to stand united. “Our party is on the verge of a new era. This is the time of unity.”