One of the mainstays of Turkey's ruling party, Ahmet Davutoglu, announced on Friday (13 September) at a press conference his resignation from the conservative party of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the AKP, as well as the forthcoming creation of a rival political formation.

"This is our historic responsibility and our duty to the nation (..) to create a new political party," said 60-year-old Ahmet Davutoglu, who had been Prime Minister of the Turkish President between 2014 and 2016 before being ousted . "I am resigning from the party in which I served with honor and to which I spent a lot of effort for years," he added.

When he had left office, Ahmet Davutoglu had sworn never to criticize Recep Tayyip Erdogan in public, but he broke his silence in July by granting a river interview in which he accused the AKP of having deviated from his and lamented its decision to demand a new election in Istanbul after narrowly losing it in March to the opposition.

In a new election in June, the ruling party candidate suffered a heavy defeat.

"Consolidate the dissident AKP vote "

The executive committee of the AKP unanimously decided in early September to send the former prime minister to a disciplinary commission for expulsion. In announcing his resignation, Ahmet Davutoglu described the AKP ruling's decision as "very serious" and "out of step" with the founding principles of the party.

Ahmet Davutoglu's announcement comes as other prominent figures such as former president Abdullah Gül and former deputy prime minister Ali Babacan, both founding members of the AKP, have also distances with Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ali Babacan, a highly respected figure in business circles, credited with the AKP's economic successes during his first decade in power, resigned from the party on July 8, accusing him of sacrificing his "values" and evoking the need for a new vision "for the country.

In an interview with the Karar newspaper this week, he announced that he would create his party by the end of the year and that Abdullah Gül would support his efforts. However, he said he would not join Ahmet Davutoglu because their "political priorities, methods and tone are different".

These "internal struggles" that burst into the open "will continue to weaken the AKP," said Berk Esen, Bilkent University in Ankara. According to him, there is now a kind of race between the two groups "to create their party first in order to consolidate the dissident AKP vote".

With AFP