Turkey being run like ‘island state’, says former deputy PM

Source:Financial Times Date:17Mar2020

And..”new” opposition party leader Ali Babacan starts his election campaign

Turkey is being run like an “island state” managed by a tiny circle of people, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s former deputy prime minister has warned after he launched a new party aimed at challenging the Turkish president.

Ali Babacan, who served under Mr Erdogan in successive governments until 2015, said the country of 83m had been suffering a serious “human resources problem” in recent years as talented people had quit or been forced out.
“The decision-shaping and decision making has become so centralised,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times, adding that it was restricted to “a small circle” of people. “Turkey is a large country . . . It is not an island state which can be run from one centre,” he added.