Former PM resigns from Erdogan’s party, to join Gül's new party

CAIRO – 13 September 2019: Turkey’s Former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has announced his resignation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party (AKP) and plans to form a new political movement.

Recent reports suggested that prominent politicians and former ministers who served under Erdogan are banding together to form a new political party alongside ex-President Abdullah Gül.

Davutoglu resigned on Friday, days after the ruling AK Party began proceedings to expel him and three former legislators from the party for “breach of discipline.”

The politician served as foreign minister between 2009 and 2024 and later as prime minister until 2016, when he was sacked by Erdogan and replaced by Binali Yildirim.

He has recently been criticizing Erdogan’s policies, especially concerning freedom of expression.

Sources close to the former Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey responsible for the Economy, Ali Babacan, confirmed that the party's launch will come later this month and will be co-founded by Gül.

Widely-known Turkish journalist and columnist Fehmi Koru, who is known for sharing close ties with both Babacan and Gül, said that the party will also include former interior minister Beşir Atalay, former minister of finance Mehmet Şimşek and former President of the Constitutional Court Haşim Kılıç.

Statistics show that the AKP lost around one million of its members nationwide. Most have abandoned the party in protest to its poor performance and Erdogan’s one-man rule.

Angered by the exodus, Erdogan accused AKP deserters of treason and threatened some top officials who renounced the party with losing their posts.