European Forum

Erdogan says to resign if his party looses 2011 elections

Last week Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he will resign if his party fails to win the general elections that are planned for next year. "If my party comes out as the second party in the 2011 elections – and I do not expect such a thing – I will step down from the party leadership," a local news agency quoted Erdoğan as saying in an interview. "I would hold myself responsible in the first degree for putting my party in that position," he added.

The 56-year-old leader added that next year's elections would be the last time he would be standing, in line with a party decision limiting lawmakers' tenure in parliament to three terms at most. He did not specify whether he would also leave the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, but said he could practice politics in civic bodies, think tanks or media organisations. AKP will be seeking a third term in the 2011 elections after coming to power in 2002 as an untested political force.

Recent opinion polls have suggested that the AKP party is losing its popularity, with the main opposition party bridging the gap between them as it attempts to polish its image under a new leader. The first test of strength for both parties will come in a referendum, that will be held on 12 September, on a set of constitutional amendments curbing the powers of the military and the judiciary. The AKP party, which drew up the changes, says the amendments will boost democracy. The opposition, however, charges that they are aimed to tighten the government's grip on power and eliminate the system of checks and balances.

Sources: Hurriyet Daily News; France 24 (Image)