Turkish PM Davutoglu resigns after losing parliamentary election
He will remain in his post until a new government is formed, a process that could take weeks
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu PHOTO: AFP
ANKARA:
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu resigned on Tuesday in a procedural move after a parliamentary election, but will remain in his post until a new government is formed, President Tayyip Erdogan's office said in a statement.
Davutoglu's ruling AK Party lost its majority in Sunday's vote, forcing it to either form a coalition government with an opposition party, a process that could take weeks, or try to go it alone in a minority government.
Erdogan is expected to officially ask Davutoglu to form the new government once the final results are published by electoral authorities, which may not be until next week.
Read: Islamic association head shot dead in Turkey
The party lost its parliamentary majority in Sunday’s legislative elections, dealing a severe blow to strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ambition to expand his powers.
It won the biggest portion of the vote in the closely-fought elections, but its 41 percent share was a sharp drop from the last polls in 2011, when it won nearly half the vote.
Read: Turkey ruling party loses majority in blow for Erdogan
Under Turkey’s proportional representation system, this means the AKP will need to form a coalition for the first time since coming to power in 2002.
The results also wrecked Erdogan’s dream of agreeing a new constitution to switch Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system that he had made a fundamental issue in the campaign.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu resigned on Tuesday in a procedural move after a parliamentary election, but will remain in his post until a new government is formed, President Tayyip Erdogan's office said in a statement.
Davutoglu's ruling AK Party lost its majority in Sunday's vote, forcing it to either form a coalition government with an opposition party, a process that could take weeks, or try to go it alone in a minority government.
Erdogan is expected to officially ask Davutoglu to form the new government once the final results are published by electoral authorities, which may not be until next week.
Read: Islamic association head shot dead in Turkey
The party lost its parliamentary majority in Sunday’s legislative elections, dealing a severe blow to strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ambition to expand his powers.
Supporters of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) celebrate during celebrations for election results in Diyarbakir on June 8, 2015. PHOTO: AFP
It won the biggest portion of the vote in the closely-fought elections, but its 41 percent share was a sharp drop from the last polls in 2011, when it won nearly half the vote.
Read: Turkey ruling party loses majority in blow for Erdogan
Under Turkey’s proportional representation system, this means the AKP will need to form a coalition for the first time since coming to power in 2002.
The results also wrecked Erdogan’s dream of agreeing a new constitution to switch Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system that he had made a fundamental issue in the campaign.