Turkey's prime minister to step down amid tensions with president


Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced he will step down later this month following widespread reports of tension with Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. President Erdogan has attempted to shift power away from the prime minister and to the president, a move that reportedly made Davutoglu uneasy. Davutoglu succeeded Erdogan as premier and leader of the Justice and Development Party in 2014, and will step down at the party's congress on May 22.
Davutoglu is viewed in by the West as a cooperative reformer who seeks to deepen Turkey's relationship with Europe, while Erdogan is viewed skeptically for his censorship of the press and crackdown on political dissent, The Wall Street Journal reports. Davutoglu's decision to step down could weaken relations between Ankara and Washington as the nations go forward in the fight against ISIS
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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