CHP leader: Turkish President Erdoğan holds prime minister’s reins

ANKARA – Cihan News Agency

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (R) speaks with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (L) during a ceremony in Ankara. DHA Photo

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is “holding the reins of” Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.

“Mr. Davutoğlu, you have to get rid of the political tutelage being imposed on you. Someone else is holding your neck. This is not right. You should use your rights as prime minister. Regardless of our criticisms of your rule, there cannot be dual-governance in Turkey,” said Kılıçdaroğlu, speaking during parliamentary budget talks on Dec. 10.

"We want to address you as prime minister, but we have worries over who is actually governing the country,” he added.

Kılıçdaroğlu cited recent remarks by Erdoğan on giving loans to farmers and decreasing natural gas prices in the country, adding that only the prime minister should make such statements on issues that are directly connected to Cabinet members.

Meanwhile, also speaking in Parliament, Davutoğlu accused the CHP of "supporting military coups."

“We do not have any problems with the people of Egypt. We have a problem with coup-makers, just like we have a problem with you [the CHP]. You are also coup-makers,” he said, drawing an angry reaction from the CHP members of Parliament.

Davutoğlu referred to the fact that the CHP had sent a delegation to Egypt after the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian military.

Responding to Davutoğlu’s remarks, Kılıçdaroğlu denied that they had ever supported the coup in Egypt.

“We have never been supporters of any coups. He [Davutoğlu] is not aware of this, just as he is not aware of anything else,” he said.