Turkish PM set to step down amid rift with Erdogan

After falling out favour with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says he will step down later this month at an extraordinary congress of his ruling AK Party.

The PM fell out of favour with Erdogan after he disapproved the President’s plans to move Turkey to a presidential system of government.

The outgoing PM in his final speech at the extraordinary congress says he is still loyal Erdogan and he bore no hard feelings to anyone much so as his successor will be chosen when the congress meets on the 22nd of May.

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Earlier on Thursday, presidential aide Cemil Ertem said there would be no snap elections following the appointment of a new leader.

He also told Turkish TV that the country and its economy would stabilise further “when a prime minister more closely aligned with President Erdogan takes office”.

Mr Davutoglu was expected to be a pliant prime minister but disagreed with some of Mr Erdogan’s more controversial policies and crucially wavered in his support to change the constitution to boost the president’s powers.

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