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Turkey PM 'to quit' in rift with President Erdogan | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will stand down at an extraordinary congress of his ruling AK party later this month, local media report. | |
Reports that the congress would be held on 22 May came after Mr Davutoglu held talks with senior party leaders. | |
Speculation of his resignation has been rife since Mr Davutoglu met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday. | |
He is long thought to have disapproved of Mr Erdogan's plans to move Turkey to a presidential system of government. | |
On Thursday Presidential aide Cemil Ertem appeared to confirm the reports when he 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 Erdogan hand-picked Mr Davutoglu to succeed him as head of the AK Party (Justice and Development Party) after the former was elected president in 2014. | |
Leadership split spoils the party | |
Recep Tayyip Erdogan - Turkey's bruised battler | |
In a sign of the prime minister's weakening influence, he was stripped last week of the authority to appoint provincial AK Party officials. | |
The development comes at a time of increasing instability for Turkey, which is tackling an escalating conflict with the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), attacks by the so-called Islamic State, and an influx of migrants and refugees. | |
Turkey is also in the midst of implementing a key deal with the European Union, brokered by Mr Davutoglu, to limit the number of refugees flowing across its border in return for accelerated EU accession talks and financial aid. | |
The future of that agreement, which Mr Davutoglu was seen as having agreed with little input from the president, could be plunged into doubt by his departure. |