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Resignation of Erdogan’s Son-in-Law Reveals Crisis within Party, Family

Turkey’s new Finance Miniser Lutfi Elvan during his visit to the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 (AFP)
Turkey’s new Finance Miniser Lutfi Elvan during his visit to the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 (AFP)
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Resignation of Erdogan’s Son-in-Law Reveals Crisis within Party, Family

Turkey’s new Finance Miniser Lutfi Elvan during his visit to the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 (AFP)
Turkey’s new Finance Miniser Lutfi Elvan during his visit to the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 (AFP)

The resignation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law Berat Albayra has revealed the deep crisis facing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Albayra's resignation came amid a decline in AKP’s popularity and the deterioration of the political and economic situation in the country.

He announced the decision to step down in an Instagram post on Sunday, which was denounced by AKP leaders who said the decision caused serious damage to both Erdogan and the party and considered it an “embarrassing” reaction to the President’s sacking of the Central Bank governor.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said Albayrak’s resignation via social media was unprecedented and amounted to a “state crisis.”

It took more than 24 hours for the government to respond to the decision through a brief presidential statement indicating that Erdogan has accepted Albayrak’s resignation.

Many people in Turkey, including some officials in Erdogan’s party, believed the president was grooming the 42-year-old former businessman as a future party leader and even as a possible successor.

Meanwhile, sources close to the ruling circles in Ankara revealed that the Albayrak’s resignation came after Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu informed Erdogan about the intention of between 30 and 40 AKP MPs to resign and join the opposition Democracy and Progress Party of former Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and the Future Party of Ahmet Davutoglu.

Turkish political analyst Murat Yetkin said the resignation indicated double crises at the level of the AKP and his family.

He pointed out that Albayrak’s resignation is not like that of Soylu’s in July, who came back stronger.

“Albayrak’s step down did not create the impact of Soylu’s resignation move,” he stressed.

“When Soylu announced his resignation, within fifteen minutes his supporters began to hit the streets, while the letter of resignation published in the name of Albayrak on social media received 600.000 likes within a few hours.”

Babacan, for his part, said the resignation is a declaration of “bankruptcy” by Erdogan’s government, noting that Turkey’s economy won’t improve by replacing a figure or two.

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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an invasion from the mainland.
The island’s navy highlighted its Kuang Hua VI fast attack missile boats and Tuo Chiang-class corvettes in waters near Taiwan’s largest port of Kaohsiung, a major hub for international trade considered key to resupplying Chinese forces should they establish a beachhead on the island.
The Kuang Hua VI boats, with a crew of 19, carry indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles and displayed their ability to take to the sea in an emergency to intercept enemy ships about to cross the 44-kilometer (24-nautical mile) limit of Taiwan’s contiguous zone, within which governments are permitted to take defensive action.
China routinely sends ships and planes to challenge Taiwan’s willingness and ability to counter intruders, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets, activate missile systems and dispatch warships. Taiwan demanded on Wednesday that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said is undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupting international shipping and trade.
Mountainous Taiwan's strategy is to counter the much larger Chinese military with a relatively flexible defense that can prevent Chinese troops from crossing the strait. Landing sites are few on Taiwan's west coast facing China, forcing Beijing to focus on the east coast.
Hsiao Shun-ming, captain of a Tuo Chiang-class corvette, said his ship’s relatively small size still allows it to “deliver a formidable competitive power” against larger Chinese ships. The Tuo Chiang has a catamaran design and boasts high speeds and considerable stealth ability.
Taiwan has in recent years reinvigorated its domestic defense industry, although it still relies heavily on US technology such as upgraded fighter jets, missiles, tanks and detection equipment. US law requires it to consider threats to the island as matters of “grave concern,” and American and allied forces are expected to be a major factor in any conflict.
Thursday's exercise “demonstrates the effectiveness of asymmetric warfare, and Taiwan’s commitment to defense self-reliance,” said Chen Ming-feng, rear admiral and commander of the navy’s 192 Fleet specializing in mine detection. “We are always ready to respond quickly and can handle any kind of maritime situation.”
China's authoritarian one-party Communist government has refused almost all communication with Taiwan's pro-independence governments since 2016, and some in Washington and elsewhere say Beijing is growing closer to taking military action.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de facto independence and democratic status.