A row erupted within Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on March 21, after the deputy prime minister brazenly condemned President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for stepping outside his boundaries by criticizing the government’s Kurdish peace process. Deputy Prime Minister and AKP co-founder Bulent Arinc quickly shot back, reminding Erdoğan that “it is the government that rules the country, and this is the responsibility of the government.” In response, the AKP mayor of Ankara called for Arinc’s resignation, while Erdoğan admonished the deputy premier for forgetting that he is Turkey’s president, not merely a “showroom model.”
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