Erdogan rejects Turkish minister’s resignation after coronavirus lockdown criticism

Source:Reuters Date:13Apr2020

Interior Minister Soylu resigned, but bounced back to his job after a pardon by President Erdogan.  This is Turkey’s version of public officials taking responsibility for screw-ups.

“The incidents that occurred ahead of the implementation of the curfew were not befitting the perfect management of the outbreak,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in statement on Twitter in which he said he was resigning.

Erdogan, however, judged it was not “appropriate” for Soylu to resign and the minister would continue in his position, the presidency said shortly afterwards.

Soylu’s statement came just before the end of the weekend lockdown in 31 provinces across Turkey, including its largest city and commercial hub Istanbul, home to 16 million residents.

The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said the way the lockdown was announced had undermined efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak in Turkey, which has registered 50,000 cases.