PodcastZeitgeist Turkey | Episode 5: The real reasons behind why President Erdoğan could not let Interior Minister Soylu leave
The resignation attempt of Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu on April 12 taking full responsibility for the chaos triggered by a disordered and late announcement of country's first weekend curfew shed light on the power struggle within the ruling party. Duvar English’s editor-in-chief Cansu Çamlıbel and pollster Can Selçuki analyze the motives behind Soylu's power play and President Erdoğan's reasons for not letting him go.
Editor: Azra Ceylan
The resignation attempt of Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu on April 12 taking full responsibility for the chaos triggered by a disordered and late announcement of country's first weekend curfew shed light on the power struggle within the ruling party.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan refused the resignation which was not discussed with him before Soylu went public on Twitter late on April 12. In hours, Soylu withdrew his resignation. Erdoğan's alliance partner ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli thanked the President for his decision.
Currently a staunch supporter of President Erdoğan and a hawkish politician on the Kurdish issue, Minister Soylu’s political life has seen dramatic changes. Before joining the AKP, Soylu was known for his harsh criticisms against the party and Erdoğan.
Today, Soylu serves as the key figure bridging AKP's Islamist brass with country's nationalists.
In this week's episode, Duvar English’s editor-in-chief Cansu Çamlıbel and pollster Can Selçuki analyze the motivation behind Soylu's power play and President Erdoğan's real reasons for not letting him go. They look for answers to whether Soylu could beat Erdoğan's son-in-law and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak in a post-Erdoğan scenario.
This podcast was prepared with support from Heinrich Böll Stiftung’s Turkey Representation.
