Turkey: Erdogan challenged by former minister

Turkey’s former deputy prime Minster Ali Babacan, a former close ally of President Erdogan, has hit out at the country’s “misguided and populist’ economic management launching a new party aimed at challenging the ruling Party.

Babacan, a founding member of the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP), held several key positions in the Erdogan’s cabinet.

Baliacan is the second AKP veterans to recently quit the party and launch splinter movements.

Babacan, at the hunch of his party – whose name translated to english means “the remedy” – said the public opinion perception of the government has now “seriously changed”.

“Instead of rue we have arbitrariness, instead of institutionalised governance we have personalised governance, instead of meritocracy we have favouritism”, Babacan told the press.

In recent years, President Erdogan have been object of accuses of eroding the rule of law and adopting a highly personalised leadership.

Babacan promised to help to trasform Turkey to an high-tech, export-orientated country.

Turkey joined NATO in 1952. In 1963, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community.  

Following the failed coup, Ankara instituted a State of Emergency from July 2016 to July 2018.

Ankara conducted a referendum on 16 April 2017 in which voters approved constitutional amendments changing Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system. The amendments went into effect fully following the presidential and parliamentary elections in June 2018 (election results:  ERDOGAN reelected president in the first round: (AKP) 52.6%, Muharrem INCE (CHP) 30.6%, Selahattin DEMIRTAS (HDP) 8.4%, Meral AKSENER (IYI) 7.3%, other 1.1%).