Erdogan-Davutoglu partnership ends as Turkish PM resigns

Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has announced he will not be running at the next elections despite his "successful" term as head of government, in a dramatic turn of events that will likely boost the power of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"It is reasonable to ask why the victor of an election six months ago does not want to run for re-election as leadership," Davutoglu said at the press conference.

"Life teaches people many things. I have many principles that I have never abandoned. I have never sought the trappings of office.

"[The] decision to strip me of party appointment powers was not in keeping with behaviour I would expect from fellow party colleagues.

"I will not accept any speculation over my relationship with President Erdogan. We have always stood shoulder to shoulder. Erdogan's honour is my honour. His family's honour is mine."

The decision follows a meeting on Wednesday which saw the two powerhouses discuss escalating tensions that have been ongoing for several months.

Local media picked on the events early on Thursday, with opposition paper Cumhuriyet describing the move as a "palace coup".

"The summit meeting did not find a solution and Erdogan put it to a full stop," it added.

"Davutoglu steps aside," said a Hurriyet daily headline, while the Milliyet newspaper opted for "A new era in the AKP".

Davutoglu, formerly a close ally of the president, served as foreign minister in Erdogan's cabinet. When Erdogan became president, Davutoglu - the leader of the AKP, succeeded him as prime minister. He has filled his cabinet with Erdogan's inner circle, leading analysts to comment that Erdogan's agenda remained the driving force behind the government.

The central executive committee of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) were expected to meet on Thursday morning for Davutoglu to announce the convening of an extraordinary party congress later this month, the NTV and CNN-Turk channels reported.

Erdogan - who already controls both the army and parliament - is expected to benefit from the latest move, described as a "hollowing cut" by Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute.

"It shows how much power has been massed in one person's hands," he told AFP. Erdogan was now exercising more control than anyone in Turkey's modern democratic history, he added.

"Turkish politics is entering into a period where the presidential system has de-facto started," said Fuat Keyman, director of the Istanbul Policy Center thinktank.

"Whoever becomes the new leader of the AKP and premier will have to accept the new nature of the system."

Tensions between the two leaders have revealed themselves on a number of occasions since the 2015 elections.

Most recently, an EU deal aimed at regulating the flow of refugees into Europe as well as the fate of detained journalists saw the two AKP leaders lock horns.

The departure of Davutoglu "will allow Erdogan to distance himself from some of his failed policies that can be attributed to Davutoglu", added Keyman.