The eleventh hour for Turkish democracyOn Thursday, Davutoğlu, who became Prime Minister himself, in 2014, resigned, apparently over differences with Erdoğan, who is now Turkey’s President. At a press conference, Davutoğlu expressed his unwavering fidelity to his former boss, but it was not difficult to read disappointment on his face—perhaps reflecting his astonishment that Erdoğan had finally come for him. It’s an old story: the loyal satrap, who makes a career for himself by faithfully snarling at his master’s critics, finally gets thrown overboard himself.
So let us not shed too many tears for Davutoğlu, who for years marched happily alongside as Erdoğan gutted Turkey’s democratic institutions and took the country to the brink of dictatorship. Let us mourn instead Turkish democracy itself, which has now been shorn of one of its last checks on Erdoğan’s power. Indeed, Davutoğlu’s resignation may well be remembered as the moment when Turkish democracy finally perished.